CARACAS.- This Tuesday, April 23, World Book and Copyright Day, the La Poeteca Foundation and the French Embassy in Venezuela They announced the verdict of the I Franco-Venezuelan Poetry Prizewhich they jointly convened with the purpose of stimulating the creative development of poetry and contributing to its dissemination.
In the middle of an evening held at the Residence of His Excellency the Ambassador of France in Venezuela, Emmanuel Pineda, the winning text was revealed: Cry for the invisible, by the writer and teacher Ral García Palma, who lives in Los Mereyes, in the state of Barinas in the South American country.
According to a press release, the jury – which was made up of Venezuelan writers Eleonora Requena and Adalber Salas Hernndez, and Mexican author Mara Baranda – unanimously decided to award the prize to Cry for the invisible for his scientific and sensitive look, free of sentimentality, which he maintains with a precise and refined lyricism throughout a book where he makes the minimum, a whole, like a great metaphor of the living.
This is an outstanding award, open to the public, that we consider was missing in Venezuelan poetry. We are sure that the years to come will continue to bring many joys. We are very pleased that in the case of this year’s edition the result was unanimous. The jury also recommended some works that, from the Editorial Fund, we are comparing with a view to considering their publication in the future, said Ricardo Ramírez Requena, general director of La Poeteca, after revealing the verdict. For the La Poeteca Foundation, this alliance with the French Embassy is an honor. They have been with us since 2019 in multiple activities. “More than being allies, they are friends,” he added.
The participation of all the contestants shows that there is a strong and dynamic creation in Venezuela, assured the His Excellency Ambassador of France in Venezuela, Emmanuel Pineda. May I remind you of the commitment of this embassy to literature and the book and publishing sector. We have already had the opportunity to edit the book this year Populate the outdoors, in a bilingual edition, together with La Poeteca. We hope to continue accompanying the talents who follow in the footsteps of Rafael Cadenas, Alfredo Chacn and all the personalities who accompany us tonight.
For his part, the winner of the First Franco-Venezuelan Poetry Prize expressed his joy from Barinas. “Winning a poetry contest is always a surprise. This award is a source of satisfaction and a stimulus for continued work within the writing space. I am very happy to share it, not only with the Venezuelan public, but also with the world of readers.” of the French language. From this moment we will wait for the publication of the book and thus close the creative cycle of seeing this collection of poems in person. I congratulate the organizers for creating this activity, so necessary for the country’s culture, said Ral García Palma.
In accordance with the provisions established by the I Franco-Venezuelan Poetry Prize, Cry for the invisible be published under the editorial seal of Fundacin La Poeteca and the sponsorship of the French Embassy in Venezuela.
García Palma’s book will have a paper edition in Caracas, which will be available for international distribution. Later it can be downloaded freely and free of charge from the La Poeteca Foundation portal.
The first edition of this literary fair, open to Venezuelan writers anywhere in the world and foreigners legally residing in Venezuelan territory, received some 258 books from Spain, the United States, Venezuela and other Latin American countries. The authors must be over 18 years old and the books must be written in Spanish and strictly unpublished.
About the winner dthe 1st Franco-Venezolano Poetry Prize
Ral García Palma born in Caracas in 1958; He is a Venezuelan teacher and writer, who resides in the state of Barinas (Venezuela).
In his literary career he has published collections of poems You will no longer be able to weave the sky. Poetry 1988-89 (Caracas, Rmulo Gallegos Center for Latin American Studies, Celarg, 1990; New Voices Collection), A place close to being fertile (Barinas, Icam, 1995), Place without monuments (Mrida, Mucuglifo, 2005), We don’t know where to weave its shape (Caracas, The Dog and the Frog, 2005), I stay among those flowing (Barinas-Unellez, 2013), Red provisions or when John Lennon was resurrected (Barinas, The Dog and the Frog, 2015), Transit sites in lotto position (Caracas, The Dog and the Frog, 2015), Recipes in the foliage (Mrida-Fondo Editorial Poetry unites us, 2022), Close to a Knockout (Mrida-Fondo Editorial Nos une la poesa, 2022) and essay books History and fiction in Armas Alfonzo (Barinas, Cultural Foundation, 2000), Alfonzo Weapons. Essays on his work (Caracas, National Council of Culture, Conac, 2000) and The lezmic test (Caracas, The Dog and the Frog, 2007).
In addition to this award, García won the Dinner Stimulus Scholarship in Children’s Literature in 2019.
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Courtesy/La Poeteca
