The prominent intellectual, poet and librarian, Jose Diaz Roque, passed away yesterday afternoon in his native city. Diaz Roque, was the director of the cultural magazine Ariel and worked as a specialist at Cienfuegos´ Provincial Library, “Roberto García Valdés”. He held a degree in Language and Hispanic-Cuban Literature at Universidad Central de Las Villas. He also held a degree in Pedagogical Information and Documentation and devoted a great part of his life to cultural promotion. He carried out several responsibilities as vice-president of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, president of honor at the José Martí Cultural Society, he was a member of the Cuban Association of Librarians in Cienfuegos, of the National Union of Historians of Cuba and professor at Universidad Carlos Rafael Rodriguez.

He was a founder of the Blind Section at Cuban public libraries and member of the corresponding Section for Persons with Disadvantageous Situations at the International Federation of Associations and Library Institutions (IFLA). He collaborated in the organization and development of the Carlos Rafael Rodriguez in Memoriam colloquiums.

Translated by: Osmany Ortiz González (Azurina)