The Provincial Palace of Segovia served as the setting for the announcement of the winner of one of the most prestigious literary events in Spanish. After a deliberation that lasted several hours due to the exceptionally high quality of the submissions, the jury decided that the thirty-sixth edition of the Jaime Gil de Biedma International Poetry Prize the task falls to the writer from Salamanca, Víctor Herrero de Miguel.
This year's competition has been a resounding success, far exceeding the organizers' expectations by receiving over a thousand poetry collections. Miguel Ángel de Vicente, president of the Segovia Provincial Council, emphasized the importance of the event. established prestige of this awardwhich, edition after edition, demonstrates that poetry remains a fundamental vehicle for giving voice to silences that need to be heard.
A hymn to contemplation and everyday wonder
The winning poetry collection, titled 'Los planos de un lugar' (The Plans of a Place), has been described by the jury as a book with deep Castilian roots and a solid cultural foundation. Its author, Víctor Herrero de Miguel, combines his creative side with his work as Franciscan friar and professor of biblical literature, something that imbues his verses with a clean spirituality, far removed from unnecessary artifice.
Experts have pointed out that Herrero de Miguel's work is built from a poetics of contemplative attention, focusing his gaze on the small places where epiphanies arise. With a prize endowed with 12.000 euros and the Visor editionThe author joins a list of illustrious winners, contributing a voice that draws on such interesting influences as Christian Bobin or Mary Oliver.
Record figures for an international award
It's no small feat that they've appeared this year 1.182 poetry collections from 36 countriesThis places the Gil de Biedma Prize among the top tier of literary competitions. The organizers have highlighted the arrival of submissions from places as diverse as Korea, Ukraine, Romania, and Mexico, demonstrating that interest in this prestigious award knows no borders.
Juan Manuel de Prada, the jury coordinator, has admitted quite frankly that choosing a winner has been a "painful" process, in the sense that the quality of the sixteen finalists It was so high that any exclusion would be painful. According to de Prada, the openness to all aesthetic schools is precisely what gives the prize its most intimate nature and its best legacy for posterity.
Young talent and renewal in literature
In addition to the main award, the day also served to recognize the emergence of new voices with the Young Writers' Prize, which was awarded to María Martín Hernández. The Zaragoza native, who currently pursues her literary career in the Madrid Student Residence, has won over the jury with his work 'Under the skin, the shadow', a book that delves into identity and emotional heritage.
Asunción Escribano, a member of the jury, highlighted that Martín Hernández's work achieves transforming intimate experiences into universal questionsThanks to a polished and remarkably clear style, this prize for authors under thirty, worth 5.000 euros, confirms that there is a wealth of talent and that... young poetry in Spain She enjoys enviable health and surprising maturity.
This competition thus closes a brilliant chapter in which excellence and diversity of styles have been prioritized over fleeting trends. With the future publication of the winning works, readers will be able to explore a poetry of gratitude and memory which has managed to unite a top-level jury. The success of this edition, marked by record participation, ensures that the Jaime Gil de Biedma's literary flame It will continue to light the way for new poets for many years to come.