The literature, arts and journalism sector met this Thursday at the Hotel Palace in Madrid to celebrate the 35th edition of the Loewe Foundation Poetry Awards. This year, the Loewe house, represented by the figures of Sheila and Enrique Loewe, has awarded the award to Cuban Reinel Pérez Ventura, who at 35 years of age has become the youngest poet to receive such recognition.
The jury of the contest has indicated his latest work, Las sílabas y el cuerpo, as a unitary and rhythmic book, a poem in parts, with great expressive ease and desire for innovation. "Las sílabas y el cuerpo is a surprising book due to the unity of its ten long movements, maintained in tone, a type of verse and an admirable temperature of language", explains Jaime Siles, a member of the jury for this edition together with to other renowned names in the sector, such as Gioconda Belli, Antonio Colinas or Aurora Egido and chaired by Víctor García de la Concha.
During his thank you speech, Pérez Ventura spoke about his literary references, including Mario Vargas Llosa, and delved into what literature means to him, precisely referring to a fragment of the work Conversation in the Cathedral: "There is a moment when They tell Zavalita (the protagonist) that poetry is the most important thing. And I feel that way: poetry has been my life and I have always tried to bring the two together," the Cuban artist has claimed.
The work of Pérez Ventura has been chosen from among 1,976 works by artists from more than 38 different countries. The act was attended by personalities such as the politicians Andrea Levy and Ana Botella or the writer Sergio García Zamora, who also presented the award.
