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The groundbreaking, award-winning Cuban poet Carilda Oliver passed away Wednesday in her Matanzas home at the age of 96, an official press release has said.
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With more than 40 published works, Oliver rocked Cuban society with her eloquently prosed erotic writings with titles such as "South of my throat," "Fidel’s Song,” “Song to Matanzas," "A Woman Writes," and finally "Lyrical Biography of Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz."
The “Bride of Matanzas” was born in 1922. She was a ‘jack of all trades,’ working as a lawyer, a teacher, a draftsman, and a sculptor. However, it was clear, poetry had always been her passion.
Her daring style won the 1950 National Poetry Prize, Excelencias Award, the National Prize for the Hispanic American Competition of the American Athenaeum, National Prize for Literature, and the Centennial Commemorative Medal of the Cuban Flag.
Oliver was married multiple times throughout her lifetime, with poet Raidel Hernandez Fernandez being her last. His role in her life was both powerful and influential and landed him a place as protagonist and muse in many of her writings which broke the rule of society to explore sensualism, femininity, and women’s rights.
A local newspaper, Juventud Rebelde, called Oliver, "one of the most extraordinary poets of Cuba and Latin America," adding that her community was "grateful" for her contribution to art and society.
Her masterpieces were translated into four different languages and considered one of the island’s most outstanding female poets in history.
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