Carilda is reborn in her verses 101 years after her birthday.

“Sé quieta, sé solidaria,

sé amiga de la marea;

sueña, sueña que pasea

Plácido con su Plegaria.”

Carilda Oliver Labra spreads her poetry through Matanzas in the marine perfume that comes from the bay or in the sound of the voices that vibrate in Pueblo Nuevo, travel along the Tirry roadway, cross the bridge and flow into the Plaza de la Vigía to take their way along Medio Street, in search of «an illusion».

This summer, the National Literature Prize winner is remembered, since Carilda was born on July 6th, 1922. There is no people in Matanzas that has not read any of her poems, collected in more than 30 titles or her articles or stories published in magazines and newspapers.

According to the date of her birthday, the Provincial Center of Book and Literature will carry out several actions, as expressed by Noslén González, deputy provincial director of Culture, in a press conference, to announce the proposals for this summer:

«On July 6th, 101st birthday of our exalted poetess, a program has been designed, in which will be presented at 3:00 in the afternoon at the Sauto Theater, National Monument, the Matanzas Magazine in digital format, composed of a dossier dedicated to Carilda, which collects important writings and assessments of her work, photos and beautiful images, in addition to propitiate the sale of some of her printed books.

«A concert by pianist Franco Rivero, part of the project Al sur de mi garganta, will be held at the coliseum itself, with the participation of local poets from Matanzas».

Carilda never left Matanzas nor her home in Tirry 81, although her fame spread to Europe and she traveled throughout the Americas. As a poet said «she lived for love and felt sorrows, but her look was always clean».

After ten decades she is still alive in the heartbeat of the nation, especially in this city that she loved and sang so much in her verses.

“Sé buena, sé legendaria;

oye un violín al revés,

oye el silencio; tal vez

cuando suena así la brisa

está llorando por Isa

el alma de Milanés.”

(Excerpts from the poem Canto a Matanzas)

Written by María Elena Bayón Mayor.