The Lanzarote writer Leandro Perdomo will give his name to one of the rooms of the Island Library

He was one of the most important journalists and writers in the Canary Islands in the mid-20th century and stood out as a costumbrista writer.

December 1 2022 (12:05 WET)
Image of the mural with the face of Leandro Cabrera
Image of the mural with the face of Leandro Cabrera

The Canarian Fund Room of the Island Library will bear the name of the Lanzarote writer Leandro Perdomo Spínola in homage to the influence and trajectory of one of the most important literary figures in the Canary Islands. In addition, the room will also feature a mural with the image of the illustrious writer, a work created by the young artist from Conejera, Judith Morales.

Leandro Perdomo Spínola is one of the most important journalists and writers in the Canary Islands of the mid-20th century and stood out above all as a costumbrista writer. He was born in Arrecife in 1921 and died in the municipality of Teguise in 1993, after having resided part of his life in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and in Belgium.

However, although he lived abroad for years, his literary and journalistic production was disseminated in the main newspapers of the Canary Islands and through two newspapers that he directed: “Pronósticos” and “Volcán”. In addition, Leandro Perdomo published six books in his lifetime, which bring together a significant collection of his chronicles and stories: “Diez cuentos” (1953), “El Puerto de la Luz” (1955), “Nosotros los emigrantes” (1970), “Lanzarote y yo” (1974), “Desde mi cráter” (1976) and “Crónicas isleñas” (1978). 

“Today is a very special day because the Cabildo is fulfilling a commitment it made with the family of Leandro Perdomo, settling a historical debt,” said the Councilor for Education of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and head of the Island Library, Myriam Barros, who inaugurated this Tuesday the room dedicated to the writer.

Barros highlighted the “bohemian and ahead of his time” personality of Leandro Perdomo, who “lived glued to his pen.” 

The councilor of the first island corporation, Isabel Martín, the artist Judith Morales, as well as relatives of the writer and officials from the Teguise City Council, the municipality where Leandro Perdomo resided in his last years of life, also attended the event. 

 “Reading his texts we can understand what Lanzarote was like in the 40s: a black and white Lanzarote where hardships were endured and that Leandro narrated with exquisite clarity,” highlighted the Councilor for Education, who also recalled the time when this Lanzarote writer had to emigrate to Belgium and work as a miner without ever abandoning his passion for writing. 

There, Leandro Perdomo came to “write newspapers on wrapping paper” and, as his daughter Alejandra related, he spent sleepless nights helping other migrant and miner colleagues to write letters to their families, in addition to welcoming numerous people into his home. “That's how generous, human and humble he was,” she added.

“For all this, we want the new generations to know his figure, his work and remember him,” concluded the Councilor for Education of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Myriam Barros. 

 

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