Cuban poet Reinaldo García Ramos dies in Miami.

The renowned Cuban writer and poet Reinaldo García Ramos, an exponent of the so-called "Mariel Generation," passed away on Monday in the city of Miami at the age of 80.

Born on May 26, 1944, in Cienfuegos, García Ramos was a prominent figure in Cuban literature, recognized for his deep and evocative poetry that captured the essence of the experiences and challenges of his generation.

It was an integral part of two significant literary movements: El Puente in Cuba and the Mariel magazine in Miami.

His first book, "Acta," was published under the pseudonym Reinaldo Felipe in 1962, marking the beginning of a career that included several volumes of poetry and narrative.

Among his most notable works are "El buen peligro" (1987), "Caverna fiel" (1993), and "Únicas ofrendas" (2004).

After emigrating from Cuba during the Mariel exodus in 1980, he settled in New York where he worked for The Associated Press. Later, he was a translator for the United Nations before retiring in 2001 and moving to Miami Beach.

Recently, García Ramos had published "A Friend in Paris" (Ediciones Furtivas, 2024), an epistolary book that provides a vital testimony for understanding Cuba in the sixties and seventies, noted for its historical and emotional value.

His cousin, Mikos D. Sosa, announced the news of his passing on social media, stating that García Ramos spoke about his books until his last days, with the hope of continuing to write.

His last wish was for his literary legacy to continue being remembered and celebrated.

He requested that no funeral service be held. His remains will be cremated and his ashes scattered in the Hudson River in New York, in accordance with his personal wishes.

The Cuban literary and academic community has expressed its deep sorrow over the loss of a poet whose work has left an indelible mark on the Cuban literary landscape.

The Cuban writer and academic Mabel Cuesta stated that "Reinaldo belonged to what is known as the 'Mariel Generation.' He was an enormous poet and a good man," she said.

Ediciones Furtiva declared itself "in mourning" after learning of the death of García Ramos. The publisher stated in a press release that the poet "leaves a difficult void to fill in Cuban literature and culture," and that "having had the honor of publishing his last book, Una amiga en París (Letters, 1968-1972), is a true privilege."

"With their absence, the flame of a generation that knew how to keep its roots high, despite distances and exiles, fades a little. This is the essence of their legacy, which will live in me as a precious treasure that must be perpetuated, and at Ediciones Furtivas we will always know how to honor it," expresses the note on Facebook.

In 2020, he wrote an article for CiberCuba where he expressed that "The story of the Mariel exodus is the story of great hope."

He said that this hope was what "in 1980 thousands and thousands of Cubans forged to escape from a subdued existence to try to regain elsewhere the joy of living, faith in the future, and the conviction that individual work yields tangible and legitimate fruits. The 125,000 refugees who left their land during the five months of the maritime bridge knew almost nothing about the country or the social situation that would receive them; they only had in their minds the certainty of an animal escaping a lethal trap."

Now, after 30 years of the exodus, I can also affirm that the history of the magazine Mariel, which was published in New York between 1983 and 1985, is also one of immense hope: The hope we had as the hundreds of artists and writers who managed to leave Cuba in 1980, to finally be able to express ourselves with absolute freedom.