The Cuban writer Amir Valle was not allowed to return to his home country following a lecture tour in Spain. He had already been subject to a publishing ban and Fidel Castro personally named Valle’s book Habana Babilonia, which made the rounds on the Internet, a disgrace for Cuba. From 1992, Valle carried out research work for the book about prostitution, during which he spoke to many prostitutes and examined documents in different archives. In a country in which prostitution officially does not exist, the study was seen as an affront against the government and its publication was banned. His opportunities to work and publish following that were severely restricted. In other books, including several crime novels, he takes a closer look at the darker side of Cuban society.

He has published more than 20 books in total and his novels, short stories and tales have been translated into several languages. Before the publication ban was put into force, he won his country’s most prestigious awards. 2004 saw the release of Los desnudos de Dios, which brought him his second Cuban national prize for this erotic novel (La Llama Doble).

Following a half-year stay in Spain after he was no longer able to return home, he travelled to Germany, where he received a six-month scholarship from the Heinrich Böll Foundation. After that, from August 2006 to October 2009, he received a scholarship from the PEN Writers in Exile programme. He was given political asylum in Germany in 2009 and now lives with his family in Berlin.

Selected works:
Los desnudos de Dios (novel, 2004)
Jineteras (novel, 2006)
Las palabras y los muertos (novel, 2007)
Habana Babilionia (novel, 2008)
Santuario de sombras (novel, 2006)