José Lezama Lima (December 19, 1910-1976) was a Cuban writer and poet who is considered one of the most influential figures in Latin American literature. Born in the Columbia Encampment close to Havana where his father was a colonel, Lezama lived through the most turbulent times of Cuba's history, fighting first against the Machado dictatorship, and later surviving the Castro regime. His literary output includes the experimental novel Paradiso, several anthologies of Cuban poetry and the magazines Verbum and Orígenes, presiding as the patriarch of Cuban letters for most of his latter years. December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Republic of Cuba is an archipelago in the northern Caribbean that lies at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... This article is about the Cuban city. ... Gerardo Machado (y Morales) (1871 - 1939), was a Cuban general and political figure. ... Cuban President Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) has ruled Cuba since 1959, when, leading the 26th of July Movement, he helped overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and turn Cuba into the first socialist state in the Western Hemisphere. ... Paradiso was the only novel by cuban poet José Lezama Lima to be published during his lifetime. ...