Madrid, Nov. 17, (dpa/GNA) – Spanish poet Francisco Brines will be awarded the annual Cervantes Prize, it was announced on Monday.
Culture Minister Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes said the honour would be bestowed on the 88-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the most important Spanish poets during the second half of the last century.
One of his most famous works is “El otono de las rosas” (The autumn of the roses).
Rodriguez Uribes said Brines’ poetry ranges “from the tangible to the metaphysical and spiritual,” and always strives “for beauty and immortality.”
The Cervantes Prize is seen as the most important literature award in the Spanish-speaking world and comes with a 125,000-euro (148,000-dollar) cheque.
In its decision, the jury deviated from the unwritten rule that says the honour should be awarded alternately to Spanish and Latin American authors.
Last year, the Catalan writer Joan Margarit was honoured.
The prize is named after the writer Miguel de Cervantes, author of “Don Quixote.” It has been awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture since 1976.
GNA