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Havana, May 23 (RHC)-- Cuban Culture Minister Alpidio Alonso on Monday dedicated emotional words to playwright, novelist, poet and essayist Anton Arrufat, who died the day before at the age of 87.

The head of our country's cultural affairs spoke to Prensa Latina about what the death of the notable writer (National Literature Prize, 2000) means for the sector in general, and the intelligentsia in particular.

I think it is a great loss, because he is a very complete figure in the country's literature, who covered many genres; he was an exceptional poet, no doubt, and I think his center of influence is located in my opinion in poetry, despite moving on the stage of theater, narrative, short stories," he said.

The Cuban high official touched the point of journalism, where Arrufat also worked, with a very critical vision and extraordinary sharpness, he said.

We are talking about a man with true wisdom, he had a vast culture, but at the same time, not for having that erudition, he stopped being of the people; he was a being of a very vital activism, he participated in the literary life constantly and that was reflected in his literature, the minister said.

Alonso said that if we can define any trait in the work of this creator, it is one that is characteristic of his personality, as he was, with a boldness that bordered on recklessness, and that is the particular attraction of his curriculum vitae.

His boldness challenged us and that is what now makes his work a favorite among young people, as he had many followers in that audience, said Alonso.

He was really an example of rigor, of depth, he described; he was a man of very sharp words, besides, he said what he thought and that made him controversial, but that profile gave Anton a great prestige. He was a man of consecrated opinion if he was praiseworthy, and when he was not, his judgment was very deep. That was Arrufat, he said.

In his statements to Prensa Latina, the senior official said that a great writer has gone, one of those founding figures of a literary style, but, at the same time, of life, of being, of work, of thinking and of the way of projecting himself, he concluded.

Among the most recognized works of this intellectual are Los siete contra Tebas (1968) and Las tres partes del criollo (2003), both in theater.

The little things (Essay, 1988), Lilies on a background of swords (Poetry, 1995), The night of the spoilsport (Novel, 2000), The privileges of desire (Story, 2007), plus an infinity of compilations and translations as part of the rich legacy that the poet inherited us.

After his recent death in this capital, several Cuban intellectuals and his colleagues paid tribute to this outstanding figure of Cuban literature.