Severo Sarduy (1937–1993) was a Cuban poet, author, playwright, and literary critic, considered one of the best prose artists of the twentieth century. In 1972, he was awarded the Prix Médicis for his novel Cobra. He pursued a variety of interests: in addition to publishing six highly acclaimed novels, he published several volumes of poetry, essays, and plays. He also painted, hosted a radio program, and, as editor at Editions du Seuil, introduced contemporary Latin American fiction to European readers. He was a leading intellectual in the Cuban Revolution.