The 86-year-old Spanish poet, novelist and essayist Jose Manuel Caballero Bonald has won the Cervantes Prize, the most prestigious literary award in the Spanish-speaking world, for helping to “enrich the Hispanic literary legacy,†the Spanish-language news agency EFE reported.
Often referred to as a member of the Generation of 1950 - writers who worked during the repressive reign of Gen. Francisco Franco - Mr. Caballero Boland wrote about the country's social conditions. A person “who has no doubts, who is sure of everything, is the closest thing there is to an imbecile,†he told EFE in an interview.
Dario Villanueva, president of the jury panel, described Mr. Caballero Bonald as a “teller and creator of stories, and a maestro in the use of the language.†The prize comes with a $167,000 award.
Previous winners include Jorge Luis Borges of Argentina, Carlos Fuentes and Octavio Paz of Mexico and Mario Vargas Llosa of Peru.
