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Fina García Marruz

Fina, born on April 28, 1923, has a degree on Social Sciences and she belonged to the group of Cuban poets and writers of the renowned magazine ‘Origenes’ (1944-1956), along with her late husband Cintio Vitier, Jose Lezama Lima and Eliseo Diego.

Fina is one of Cuba’s most outstanding poets of all times. She worked as a researcher at the Jose Marti National Library and also at the Center of Studies on the Life and Work of Jose Marti, where she was part of a team of authors of a critical edition of the Complete Works of the Cuban national hero. Some of her most important works include ‘Las miradas perdidas’, ‘Viaje a Nicaragua’ and ‘Créditos de Charlot’. In 1990, she received the National Prize for Literature.

Some previous winners of the Queen Sophia Prize for Ibero-American Poetry include Chilean Gonzalo Rojas (1992), Spanish Jose Hierro (1995) and Francisco Brines (2010), Uruguayan Mario Benedetti (1999) and Argentinean Juan Gelman (2005).

The award recognizes a living author for the literary value and contribution of his or her poetical works to the common cultural patrimony of Ibero-America and Spain.

This year’s jury included personalities such as Brines; Nicolas Martinez-Fresno, president of Patrimonio Nacional; Daniel Hernandez, rector of the University of Salamanca; and Jose Manuel Blecua, director of the Spanish Royal Academy.

The award is presented by Queen Sophia of Spain at the Hall of Columns of the Royal Palace in Madrid.