Agustin de Rojas (1949-2011) is the patron saint of Cuban science fiction. A professor of the history of theater at the Escuela de Instructores de Arte in Villa Clara, he authored a canonical trilogy of novels consisting of Espiral (Spiral, 1982), for which he was awarded the David Prize; Una leyenda del futuro (A Legend of the Future, 1985); and El ano 200 (The Year 200, 1990), all of which are scheduled for publication in English translation by Restless Books. While he was heavily influenced by Ray Bradbury and translated Isaac Asimov into Spanish, de Rojas aligned himself mostly with Soviet writers such as Ivan Yefremov and the brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky . After the fall of the Soviet Union, de Rojas stopped writing science fiction. He spent his final years persuaded--and persuading others--that Fidel Castro did not exist.
Agustin de Rojas (1949-2011) es el padre de la ciencia ficcion cubana. Profesor de historia teatral en la Escuela de Instructores de Arte de Villa Clara, de Rojas es autor de una afamada trilogia que consiste en Espiral (1982), que recibio el Premio David; Una leyenda del futuro (1985); y El ano 200 (1990), todas ellas de proxima aparicion en traduccion al ingles bajo el sello editorial Restless Books. Fuertemente influenciado por Ray Bradbury, de Rojas, que tradujo al espanol a Isaac Assimov, se sumo a la linea sovietica de Ivan Yefremov, los hermanos Arkady y Boris Strugatsky. Luego de la caida de la Union Sovietica, de Rojas dejo de escribir ciencia ficcion. Paso los ultimos anos de su vida convencido--y convenciendo a los demas--que Fidel Castro no existia.
