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Angela Hernández Núñez wins Dominican Republic’s National Literature Prize
The Corripio Foundation and the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Culture yesterday awarded the National Prize for Literature 2016 to Angela Hernández Núñez, Rosa Alcántara reports for Hoy.
When the president of the Corripio Foundation, José Luis Corripio Estrada, telephoned the winner, who is in Canada awaiting the birth of a granddaughter, she said the surprise left her speechless.
The recognition is in accordance with the provisions of Presidential Decree 1053-2000, and recognizes her trajectory as a writer.
The prize carries an endowment of one million pesos and a diploma issued by the Minister of Culture, José Antonio Rodríguez, and the President of the Corripio Foundation.
The announcement of the winner of the award was made during a press conference at the headquarters of the Corripio Foundation, in which representatives of the leading universities of the country and an adviser to the Minister of Culture were present.
Minister José Antonio Rodríguez apologized for not being present at the announcement of the winner, as he had to attend events marking Duarte’s Day.
The Corripio Foundation adviser, José Alcántara stressed that the jury chose Hernández Núñez as the National Literature Prize 2016 winner after assessing her prolific and varied accomplishments, which include novels and short stories, poems, essays, photography and film. It also noted the numerous national and international anthologies in which her work has been included in countries like the United States, France, Italy, Norway and Finland.
Hernández said that the prize represents a challenge to renew her efforts to give the best of herself to her country.
“It is an award for women in my country, for Buena Vista, the rural area where I was born; It is an award for my dad and my mom, who were farmers and peasants endowed with a fighting spirit, a capacity for work, so I accept this prize as encouragement to continue working. It is a prize for work because that’s what I am, a worker of the imagination and the word,” she said.
She said she felt doubly rewarded and is looking forward to the February 16 award ceremony.
Hernández Núñez urged the encouraging of reading, considering that a book can transform a person’s life. In her particular experience books have been instrumental to form a person’s values of freedom and thought, to form core humanistic values and to give meaning to life.
She added that she strongly believes that there can be no true democracy without citizens’ access to knowledge and the cultural heritage that has shaped mankind.
Angela Hernández was born in Buena Vista, Jarabacoa, in May 1954. A chemical engineer with a degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, she found her true vocation in literature. She is a poet, short story writer and novelist, and has written numerous essays on women and literature. She is also passionate about cinema and photography. She has won several awards and is a member of the Dominican Academy of Language.
By Lisabeth Paravisini
The Corripio Foundation and the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Culture yesterday awarded the National Prize for Literature 2016 to Angela Hernández Núñez, Rosa Alcántara reports for Hoy.
When the president of the Corripio Foundation, José Luis Corripio Estrada, telephoned the winner, who is in Canada awaiting the birth of a granddaughter, she said the surprise left her speechless.
The recognition is in accordance with the provisions of Presidential Decree 1053-2000, and recognizes her trajectory as a writer.
The prize carries an endowment of one million pesos and a diploma issued by the Minister of Culture, José Antonio Rodríguez, and the President of the Corripio Foundation.
The announcement of the winner of the award was made during a press conference at the headquarters of the Corripio Foundation, in which representatives of the leading universities of the country and an adviser to the Minister of Culture were present.
Minister José Antonio Rodríguez apologized for not being present at the announcement of the winner, as he had to attend events marking Duarte’s Day.
The Corripio Foundation adviser, José Alcántara stressed that the jury chose Hernández Núñez as the National Literature Prize 2016 winner after assessing her prolific and varied accomplishments, which include novels and short stories, poems, essays, photography and film. It also noted the numerous national and international anthologies in which her work has been included in countries like the United States, France, Italy, Norway and Finland.
Hernández said that the prize represents a challenge to renew her efforts to give the best of herself to her country.
“It is an award for women in my country, for Buena Vista, the rural area where I was born; It is an award for my dad and my mom, who were farmers and peasants endowed with a fighting spirit, a capacity for work, so I accept this prize as encouragement to continue working. It is a prize for work because that’s what I am, a worker of the imagination and the word,” she said.
She said she felt doubly rewarded and is looking forward to the February 16 award ceremony.
Hernández Núñez urged the encouraging of reading, considering that a book can transform a person’s life. In her particular experience books have been instrumental to form a person’s values of freedom and thought, to form core humanistic values and to give meaning to life.
She added that she strongly believes that there can be no true democracy without citizens’ access to knowledge and the cultural heritage that has shaped mankind.
Angela Hernández was born in Buena Vista, Jarabacoa, in May 1954. A chemical engineer with a degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, she found her true vocation in literature. She is a poet, short story writer and novelist, and has written numerous essays on women and literature. She is also passionate about cinema and photography. She has won several awards and is a member of the Dominican Academy of Language.
By Lisabeth Paravisini
