Alfredo Espinosa is the winner of the Iberoamerican Poetry Prize of Minerva Margarita Villarreal with the book “Amargo animal”, of which the jury highlighted: “It proposes interesting poetry for today’s world, dismantling the individualistic self, philosophically exploring the minutiae of of the individual being and its expendability, to come to the happy conclusion that this is okay and that one can still be in the world with grace and joy, even if it is ephemeral.
“It is a bitter but sincere book about what we are and what we pretend, what we hide and what daily life takes away from us, even though we all suffer in the same way and/or to the same degree.”
Alfredo Espinosa is the artistic name of Alfredo Espinoza Aguirre, originally from Delicias, Chihuahua, who has written 30 works in the genres of poetry, novels and essays, with recognitions such as the Efraín Huerta National Poetry Prize (2004) for the book “El Luft der Things”; and the National New Ink Award (2019) for “Self-portrait with delirium”.
Before the call from UANL and INBAL to update him of the results, the poet said he was proud to receive the Minerva Margarita Villarreal award, a poet he had met and admired:
“I accept it with pleasure as an award in this category, Ibero-American, is always very good news. On the other hand, the award bears the name of
One of the most important poets in Mexico, like Minerva Margarita Villarreal, makes me proud that my name is a bit like hers; I met her and admired her and I still respect her and I still love her so that happiness is everywhere.
This award is convened by the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, the UANL Extension and Culture Secretariat, the UANL Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature and the National Literature Coordination to recognize the contribution of the poet Minerva Margarita Villarreal on the letters and the humanities.
After successive deliberations and the reading of 149 digital files, the jury, composed of Leticia Herrera (Mexico), Daniel Calabrese (Argentina) and Norberto Codina (Cuba), unanimously chose the “Amargo animal”, known under the pseudonym “Rosarita ” is presented.
The awards ceremony will take place on May 23rd at the Colegio Civil Centro Cultural Universitario in central Monterrey as part of the Alfonsino Festival 2022 activities.