APRIL OF CERVANTES

April is the month of the letters, of the Spanish language and of the prize cervantes. Because of it the University of Alcalá and the town hall of Alcalá de Henares have presented on Monday twelve of april the program of activities of the Festival of the word. The Festival of the word is a wide program of cultural activities composed by exhibitions, projections of cinema, conferences, concerts, theatrical representations, recitals of poetry and presentations of books. All that will happen from today, thirteen of April, until twenty-eight, in different places of the city.

One of the most important events will be twenty-three of april. This day the king and the queen will award the prize cervantes to the chilean writer Gonzalo Rojas.

On twenty-seven of april there will be celebrated a day of poetical readings in the faculty of philosophy and letters in which all the students of the university of Alcalá will be able to take part.

This year the festival of the word will do an honoring to other two prizes cervantes too: María Zambrano and Pablo Neruda.

(Irene)

April of Cervantes

This month is of Cervantes because he died the 23 of April of 1616, and the celebrations are in “Alcalá” because he was born there in 9 of October of 1547.

The most important tributes are:

On 13th April, “Cuba in Alejo Carpentier´s narrative”, in San Ildefonso College´s Internationals Conferences Hall.
On 19th April, tribute conference to Pablo Neruda, in University of Alcala´s
assembly hall.
On 20th April, exposition about Cervantes Prize in Municipal Archive.
On 24th April, concert of music about Cervantes´ literary works.
On 28th April, tribute conference to María Zambrano, in University of Alcala´s assembly hall.

And the book fair like a tribute of the literature and the reading, since 22 until 2 of May.

(by Aida)

Cervantes Prize

The “Miguel de Cervantes” Literature’s Prize is annually awarded and it is considered the most important in Spanish language.
On 23yh April, date that commemorates the Cervantes´ decease, King Don Juan Carlos I presides the delivery of Cervantes Prize in University of Alcala´s assembly hall. In this solemn act, the King, The Minister of Culture, and the prize-winning pronunce a speech about the present condition of Spanish language, life and literary work of writer who receives the award this year, and Cervantes and Spanish classics authors, respectively.

It was created in 1975 and awarded by the first time in 1976 “as symbol of the concord that reign in the highest institutions from state”, in short, thanks to political change in Spain. Its first winner was Jorge Guillen, exiled after Spanish Civil War, and this gratitude started the way to Guillen turn to Spain.
In the literary aspect, Cervantes Prize honorous a Spanish or Iberoamerican writer by his contribution to Hispanic literature, and was conceived like as Noble Literature’s Prize.
It can´t be divided, declared void, or given posthumous after 1979 edition when it was awarded “ex aequo” to Spanish Gerardo Diego and Argentinean Jorge Luis Borges.

Candidates must be proposed by Academies of Language of countries where Spanish is spoken, or by writers who have already won the prize.
Jury is composed by Spanish Academy’s director, a director from a iberoamerican Academy of Language which changes every year, the prize-winning of last year, and six important persons from academic, literary or universitary worlds, Spanish or Iberoamerican.
Thirteen Spanishs and thirteen Latinoamericnas have won the Cervantes Prize, but only two women. This year the winner is the Chilean poet Gonzalo Rojas.


1976 Jorge Guillén 1990 A. Bio Casares
1977 Alejo Carpentier 1991 Francisco Ayala
1978 Dámaso Alonso 1992 Dulce María Loynaz
1979 Gerardo Diego / Jorge Luis Borges 1993 Miguel Delibes
1980 Juan Carlos Onetti 1994 Mario Vargas Llosa
1981 Octavio Paz 1995 Camilo José Cela
1982 Luis Rosales 1996 José García Nieto
1983 Rafael Alberti 1997 G. Cabrera Infante
1984 Ernesto Sábato 1998 José Hierro
1985 G. T. Ballester 1999 Jorge Edwards
1986 A. Buero Vallejo 2000 Francisco Umbral
1987 Carlos Fuentes 2001 Álvaro Mutis
1988 María Zambrano 2002 José Jiménez Lozano
1989 A. Roa Bastos 2003 Gonzalo Rojas

“April of Cervantes”

Coinciding with delivery of Cervantes Prize on 23th April in Alcalá, this city organizes a lot of cultural events in the called “April of Cervantes”, although it extends to May too.
There are several kinds of acts, and the most important are:

TRIBUTES CONFERENCES:
On 13th April, “Cuba in Alejo Carpentier´s narrative”, in San Ildefonso College´s Internationals Conferences Hall.
On 19th April, tribute conference to Pablo Neruda, in University of Alcala´s assembly hall.
On 28th April, tribute conference to María Zambrano, in University of Alcala´s assembly hall.

CYCLE “CINEMA AND LITERATURE”
On 14th and 15th April, “La flaqueza del bolchevique”, in “Multicines Cisneros”.
On 22th April, “El ladrón de orquídeas”, in “Multicines Cisneros”.
On 28th April and 29th April, “The hours”, in “Multicines Cisneros”.

POEMS´ RECITATION
Rafael Morales´ poems´ recitation by Enrique García, Juan Van Halen and Alberto Escarpa, in Basilios´College.

THEATRE
On 17th and 18th, street theatre in “Hospital de Atienza”, Irishs´ Square and “Casa de Cervantes”.
On 23th and 24th April, “Carne de canon”, in Galera´s theatre.
On 2nd May, street theatre “Trapuzarra”, in Cervantes´ square.

EXPOSITION´S INAUGURATION
On 20th April, exposition about Cervantes Prize in Municipal Archive.

BOOK´S PRESENTATION
On 20th April, the Gonzalo Rojas´book “Metamorfosis de lo mismo”, in University of Alcala´s assembly hall.
On 22th April, “La reniñez de Gonzalo Rojas”, in “Circulo de Bellas Artes” (Madrid).

CONCERTS
On 23th and 24th April, concert of Renaissance´s music, in San Idelfonso´s chapel.
On 24th April, concert of music about Cervantes´ literary works.

BOOK FAIR
From 22th April to 2nd May in Cervantes´ square

“FIESTA DE LA POESIA” (POETRY PARY)
On 27 April, in Philosophy and Letters´ Faculty.

ACTIVITY FOR MOVEMENT TO READING
On 22th April, in Cervantes´ square.
On 27th, 29th and 30th April, in Central Library.
On 1st May, in San Diego´s square.

(David Ocampo)

MES DE ABRIL: FESTIVAL DE LA PALABRA Y PREMIO CERVANTES

April is the month of the letters, of the Spanish language, of the Prize Cervantes. To celebrate it, the University of Alcalá and the City Hall of Alcalá of Henares have presented in the morning of Monday 12 from April the program of activities of the Festival of the Word, that will commemorate the April of Cervantes to do an open party.
The Festival of the Word is an extensive cultural program of activities by expositions, projections of movies, conferences, concerts, theatrical representations, recitals of poetry (poesía ), stories and presentations of books, that they will happen themselves of the 13 al 28 of April in different places of the University of Alcalá and the city.
The acts will began with a conference in homage will be given al centennial of Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980), Prize Cervantes 1977. The cuban writer and specialist of the work of Carpentier, Armando Cristóbal Pérez, will give a conference: “Cuba in the narrative of Alejo Carpentier”. The act will take place in the International conference Room.
It will be very important the presence of the chilean writer Gonzalo Rojas, who will collect( recoger un premio), of hands of the Kings, the Prize Cervantes in the Paraninfo on 23 of April. In the same place, on 20 of April , the secretary of state of Culture Luis Alberto of Cuenca, the specialist in Latin-American literature Violeta Medina and the publisher ( editor ) Chus Visor will be the protagonists to the work of Gonzalo Rojas, with the presentation of his book ‘Metamorphosis of the same”.
On the 22 of April, the Minister of Culture of Chile, José Weinstein, the rector of the UAH, Virgilio Zapatero and Gonzalo Rojas, they will participate in the presentation of his book: ´The re-infancy(¿?) of Gonzalo Rojas´, in the Circle of Beautiful Arts of Madrid. At night, in the Chapel( capilla) of San Ildefonso, the singer Amancio Prada will put his voice in various poems of the chilean writer. After that he sing to Miguel Hernández, Federico García Lorca, San Juan de la Cruz, Rosalía de Castro and García Calvo too.
April 26, in the International Conference Room of the Rectorado, the writers Benjamín Prado and Luis Garcia Montero will be who present the book “Miguel of Cervantes”.
On the 27 of April, will be celebrated a marathon of poetic readings , a festival of poetry of eight hours, in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, open to all the students of the University.
The Party of the Word of this year will also pay homage to ( rendir homenaje a ) María Zambrano and Pablo Neruda, because it’s their centennial of birth.

(by David Tavira)

CERVANTES' MONTH

In the month of April, we have in our university the contest of the poetry. It will be held in the faculty of philosophy and arts in Alcala de Henares. In this faculty the students will read poems of important authors closely linked to it university.
In the stairs of the university we will see an exhibition. Besides we will see the last contest photographs and also there will be projections of pictures.
The people of the university supply us a presentation of books and journals of poetry. In addition there will be a competition of writing and it give without nothing impediment.
The university supply to the students routes to Madrid to visit Arts circle. And finally the students will have an end of party in the Oidor's chapel.

The Cervantes Prize is awarded by the Spanish Education, Culture and Sport Department at the proposal by the Hispanic language Academy annually. The Spanish king and queen come to Alcalá to give this award.
The Cervantes Prize is considerated as the most important award in Spanish language. It is awarded in recognition of work of Spanish litarature. The prize worth 90,000 euros. The authors who won this award are, for example, Ernésto Sábato, Rafael Alberti, Luis Rosales, Octavio Paz, Juan Carlos Onetti, Jorge Luis Borges, Gerardo Diego, Dámaso Alonso, Alejo Carpentier, Jorge Guillén…etcetera. The current Cervantes Prize winner is Gonzalo Rojas.
The Cervantes Prize is always celebrated in Alcalá de Henares 23TH April. This is because the most important Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, author of “El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha”, was born in Alcalá that day.

“The party of the word” is celebrated from 13TH to 28TH April. It has several cultural activities: The pupils make poems, expositions, gastronomic, surprises and a lot of things more.

(by Raquel)

Cervantes in April month.

The UNESCO declared on 15th November of 1995 that the 23rd of April would be the Book´s day. It is the World Day of the Book that does honor to the creator of the Spanish language Miguel de Cervantes and to English writer William Shakespeare. Both of them died on 23rd of April and were been huge authors in their period, so this is the reason of the 23rd is the Book´s Day.

On 23rd of April is the San Jorge´s day in Spain which it is related with the most important writer in Spanish literature Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra, who was born in Alcalá de Henares. He died on 23rd of Abril, so this day of each year is the Book´s Day and the Premio Cervante´s Day. The Premio Cervantes is gave since 1974 in Alcalá de Henares (Spain). This date does honor to Miguel de Cervantes. The Premio Cervantes is a prize and it is gave to the author´s literature career. This year the Premio Cervantes has been given to Fernando de Rojas.

Alcalá de Henares is a important city in this date because Miguel de Cervantes was lived here, so in these days the city celebrates a Poetry Festival and on 23rd of April of each year we read the Cervantes´ book; El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, while other regions like Barcelona gives a concrete gift: a rose and a book.

Miguel de Cervantes, Alcalá de Henares, the 23rd of April, the literary books, the Premio Cervantes or Fernando de Rojas are names that we must not forget because these names belong to our culture.

(by Carmen)

THE MONTH OF CERVANTES

On April, the month of Miguel de Cervantes is celebrated in Alcala de Henares. Cervantes is the image of the city and for that reason the city dedicates a day to him, the 23 of April, this year Gonzalo Rojas receives Cervantes award.
The Cervantes day coincides with the book fair and we can buy some books in the stalls of the main square.
Also we can enjoy different activities as exhibitions, the students will read poems, tribute to Alejo Carpentier, book´s presentations, concerts and spectacles. But we can see films and theatre too.
The party of the poetry was celebrated in our faculty, and we could enjoy of music, theatre and poetry.
In conclusion, the april is the month of the culture and all the people are invited to enjoy in Alcala.

(Javier J)

Cervantes: The world’s book day!

The 23rd of April The Day of the Book is celebrated in the whole word. In this date but in the year 1616 Cervantes, Shakespeare and Garcilaso de la Vega died.
The International Editors Union decided that the best day to admire books and copyright was the 23rd of April. Then, the Spanish government suggested UNESCO the idea of the celebration, and everybody agreed it was an excellent choise. So, since 1995 more than 80 countries has celebrated “The world’s book and Copyright day”.
In the Spanish-speaking countries we also celebrate “The Language Day” in honour of Miguel de Cervantes.

Celebration in Spain:
Apart from the “Book fair”, which takes place in all Spain, there are a lot of events, especially in Alcalá the Henares where Cervantes was born.
In Alcalá we celebrate “The Speech festival” thanks to University and to the Town Hall. At University we can find a poetry contest. Noumerous books and magazines are intoduced and there are a lot of “reading poetry and stories events”.
But one of the most important celebrations on the 23th of April takes place in the Paraninfo of Alcalá: The annual awarding of the Premio Cervantes for Hispanic Literature, in Spain this is the most prestigious Literature Award.

(by Laura)

APRIL AND CERVANTES

The Chilean poet, Gonzalo Rojas Hill receive Cervantes award the next Friday 23Th of April coinciding with the “Day of the Book”.
The award will be delivered by the Kings of Spain in the Paranymph of the University of Alcalá de Henares.
This day, personalities of the world of politic, culture, students and others will read the book El Quijote who was writed by Miguel de Cervantes; this is the VII lecture of the book.
The Faculty of Philosophy and Letters in Alcalá de Henares will realize many activities like readings of poetry, projections or presentation of magazines and books of poetry in Tuesday 27Th of April.
There are numerous activities to commemorate this day, for example, in Cataluña is a tradition to give a book and a rose.

(by Sara)

Cervantes Prize for Hispanic Literature

The annual awarding of the Premio Cervantes, the Spanish literary equivalent of the Nobel Prize, takes place in the Paraninfo of the old Complutense University on the 23 of April, the birthday of native son Miguel de Cervantes.
On this occasion, the old city dresses up to receive illustrious cultural representatives from Spain and Latin America in the most important holiday dedicated to books and reading –a celebration of a common language, Spain’s greatest cultural legacy.
Starting with the first winner of the Cervantes Prize, poet Jorge Guillén in 1976, until 1998, when the winner was Cuban writer Cuillermo Cabrera Infante, many illustrious writers have been so distinguished, among them Jorge Luis Borges, Rafael Alberti, Octavio Paz, Camilo José Cela, and Francisco Ayala.
The stately old building is dressed up to relive old glories, when its classrooms were filled with the brightest lights of the Spanish language and literature.
In this way, Alcalá de Henares has become the capital of the language, a well-deserved recognition for its invaluable contribution oto world literature as the cradle of one of the most illustrious writers –along with Shakespeare- of all time, the unforgettable author of the immortal Don Quijote de la Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
Chilean poet Gonzalo Rojas has won this year's Cervantes Prize, considered the highest recognition for Spanish-language literature. Rojas, 85, has written 17 books of poetry beginning in 1948 with La miseria del hombre

The party of the word is a lot of cultural activities { expositions, cinema, poetry…}from 13 to 28 of April in different places of Alcala de Henares . The most important act is the day 23, when Gonzalo Rojas will give the Cervantes’ prize. In this party, some pupils will read poems, or they will write it in an informatic porgamme , there will be surprises , and one bus that will go from the Alcala University to ‘ C’irculo de Bellas Artes’ in Madrid.

CERVANTES’ MONTH

The Cervantes’ month is celebrated On Tuesday 27th in April. There are some activities announced by the university. All these activities are taking place in Alcalá de Henares, in the faculty of Philosophy and Arts from 12:00 to 20:00.
First of all, there will be a poetry reading where students will read some poems of several authors that are closely link to Cervantes.
Other activity is an art exhibition by Josechu Dávila in the stairs. There is a projection of the last contest photographs.
There is a presentation of books and poetry magazines from a lot of groups like Lavapiés or Malasaña, with tittles like Prima Littera or Quebrados.
There will be a gastronomic committee helded by the student’s council from 14:00 to 16:00.
Another poetry reading, this time Chinese poetry by Pilar G. España & Co. and a presentation of an Italian book about Florentine angels are other activities.
There is a visit to Arts circle from 11:00 to 16:00.
Finally there is a party to close the activities for this day in Oidor’s chapel.