(Redirected from Leonardo Padura)'Leonardo Padura Fuentes' (born
1955) is a
Cuban
novelist and
journalist.
As of 2007, he is one of Cuba's best known writers internationally. In
English and some other languages, he is often referred to as 'Leonardo Padura'.
Born in
Havana, Padura took a degree in Latin American literature at the
University of Havana. He first came to prominence as an investigative journalist, but subsequently became known as an
essayist and a writer of
screenplays and in particular,
detective novels. His book ''Paisaje de otoño'' (''Autumn landscape'') won the
1998 Premio Hammett of the
Asociación Internacional de Escritores Policiacos (International Association of Crime Writers); this prize should not be confused with the similarly named
Hammett Prize given by the North American branch of the organization, which is restricted to
U.S. and
Canadian authors. Padura's "''Four seasons''" quartet of detective novels featuring
lieutenant Mario Conde, ''Las cuatro estaciones'' (''The four seasons'') have recently started to be published in English translation. The novels are:
★ ''Pasado perfecto'' ("Havana Blue", 2007), 1991
★ ''Vientos de cuaresma'' ("Havana Yellow", 2008)''), 1994
★ ''Mascaras'' ("Havana Red", 2005), 1997
★ ''Paisaje de otoño'' ("Havana Black", 2006), 1998.
Padura has published two subsequent books featuring Conde, the
novella ''Adios Hemingway'' and a recent novel ''La neblina del ayer'' (''The Fog of Yesterday''). His books are also available in
French (including all the books featuring Conde),
Italian,
Portuguese and
German.
External links
★
Interview with Padura in Shots ezine
References
★ Wilkinson, Stephen (2006). ''Detective Fiction in Cuban Society and Culture''. Oxford & Berne: Peter Lang. ISBN 3-03910-698-8 (US 0-8204-7963-2). This book contains four chapters on Padura and a history of the Cuban detective genre.