Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of the Republic of Cuba, mourned the death today in Havana of the prominent Cuban writer, essayist and critic Francisco López Sacha at the age of 74.

The president stated in his account on the social network X. «Very saddened by the death of our dear Professor López Sacha. It was a privilege to listen to him at meetings with Cuban intellectuals in the Palace of the Revolution».

«We will miss his lucidity, his precise words, his commitment. Farewell. Hugs to his family and friends,» he said.

«So much pain… We are missing not only one of our most brilliant intellectuals, to whom the previous Fair (Havana International Book Fair) was dedicated, but also one of our most beloved. He was a joy, a dear friend,» wrote the Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso, on his X account.

Abel Prieto, president of Casa de las Américas, also mourned the loss, describing the news as terrible.

«Great storyteller, essayist, teacher, loyal, smiling, tender, it was impossible not to love him. We at Casa de las Américas send our condolences to his family, friends and readers, you will always be with us, brother,» he said.

The Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba stated on its Facebook page that the work of the beloved Cuban storyteller is marked by a profound exploration of the human condition, art and identity.

It stressed that «With his death on 16 February, Cuban culture loses one of its most lucid and passionate voices».

Born in the city of Manzanillo in 1950, López Sacha graduated in Literature from the Universidad de Oriente, in Santiago de Cuba, and for 13 years he worked as a professor of Theatrical Thought at the Universidad de las Artes in Havana.

He was for several years president of the Association of Writers, of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, deputy director of the Onelio Jorge Cardoso Literary Training Workshop and director of the magazine Letras Cubanas.

Some of his books, short stories and essays have been translated into German, Italian, Portuguese, English and Russian.

His bibliography includes titles such as La división de las aguas, El cumpleaños del fuego, Análisis de la ternura, Dorado mundo, Pastel flamante, El que va con la luz and Prisioneros del rock and roll, among others.

In 1994 he also published Fábula de ángeles, an anthology of new Cuban storytellers, and in 1996 La Isla Contada, el cuento cubano contemporáneo, which was published twice in Spain, once in Portugal, once in Brazil and once in Italy.