Writer, ethnologist, and researcher Rogelio Martínez Furé has been awarded the 2015 National Prize for Literature, granted every year by the National Book Institute, as public recognition of those writers who have enriched the country’s cultural legacy in general, and its literature in particular.
The 2015 National Prize for Literature jury,- led by Eduardo Heras León, 2015 National Prize winner, and including Soleida Ríos, Caridad Atencio, Sigfredo Ariel and Miguel Mejides – after evaluating all the nominations submitted, agreed unanimously to award the Prize to Martínez Furé, for his contributions and accomplishments.
In his case, this means the construction of a solid, important body of both literary and oral work, which has creatively illuminated all of Cuban culture.
Critics consider him an inclusive reflection of poetic traditions, seeking transcendence and a bridge between two artistic expressions – the written and the oral. Given his role in cultural resistance, he has been described as a true decolonizer and one of the great discoverers of Cuba’s essence. His work has attempted to and helped Cubans understand that we are heirs to all of the world’s cultures, not one only, as well as the civilizing richness of African culture.
The National Prize for Literature will be awarded in a public ceremony scheduled February 16, in Nicolás Guillén Hall at the Cabaña Fortress in Havana, as part of the International Book Fair’s program of activities.
To be presented during the fair, as well, is this year’s National Prize for Social and Humanistic Sciences to Ana Cairo Ballester, along with the national awards for Book Editing and Design. The first is going to Olga Marta Pérez, for her career managing book projects; and the second to Enrique Martínez Blanco, for his personal efforts and the legacy he leaves at the Cuban School of Children’s Literature Design.
(Granma)