With a degree in Philosophy from the University of Havana and a doctorate in History from El Colegio de México, he has written several books on the intellectual and political history of Mexico, Cuba and Latin America. His most recent book is El estante vacío. Literatura y política en Cuba (The Empty Shelf. Literature and Politics in Cuba - Anagrama, 2009). He received the 2001 Matas Romero Prize for Diplomatic History awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mexico and the 2006 Anagrama Essay Prize. A lecturer and researcher at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (Center for Economic Research and Teaching - CIDE) in Mexico, he has also been a visiting professor at the universities of Columbia, Princeton and Austin.
