The Nicaraguan poet, William Alexander González, 22, won the XXV edition of the Antonio Carvajal Prize, a literary prize dedicated to the competition of young promises of Spanish and Latin American literature. His collection of poems “Los Nadies” was the deserving of the prize awarded to the student of Literature and Journalism.
«If I want my poetry to be characterized by something, it is by being next to the poor, the marginalized and those people who struggle day by day to get ahead, I refer to the emigrant who leaves his homeland and begins a new life in another country, I am referring to the young Spanish marginalized who lives in a neighborhood of Madrid and whom nobody pays attention to; For this reason, I would say that my most striking resources are my own experiences, the calamities faced, the precariousness that my friends and acquaintances face,” González said in an interview with Article 66.
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The jury, which was made up of poets, writers and professors who value the work of the candidates, highlighted that his poetry “with lyrical roots, musically heir to that of his compatriot Rubén Darío, rooted in contemporary social reality, which the author knows very up close: emigration, poverty, uprooting, marginalization, bureaucratic obstacles, hard work, the real world, with its pressing and universal urgencies and needs, which does not seem to concern or interest other poets of his age».
González assures that one of the things that seemed most important to him is that the jury was able to appreciate «that the work reflects the real world, it is a real world that I see with a sad look because of all the calamities that one faces, since be it when they emigrate or simply those who are in Spain fighting against the crisis or precariousness on the margins of the neighbourhoods. Not everything is rosy, there are social problems that nobody talks about simply because they are not interesting.
The jury has described the winning work as “a book that names, among others, those who others call Menas (Unaccompanied Foreign Minors), and does so with as much truth as beauty.” The young Nicaraguan poet has been the winner in an edition in which several dozen works “of very high quality” have participated.
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During the presentation of the winner, the poet from Albolote after whom the Prize is named, Antonio Carvajal, expressed his satisfaction with the repercussion and presence that the Prize has in the world of contemporary poetry, being among the four best in Spain, «for his quality and recognition bar. Carvajal has highlighted the joys that this award created 25 years ago brings him on a personal level.
He carries poetry in his veins
The young winner is currently studying a Double Degree in Language and Literature plus Journalism at the Rey Juan Carlos University in Spain, «practically all my education has been Spanish, but I studied in Nicaragua until fourth and fifth grade and I carry a love for poetry and the word in the veins I love my country in every way because I think that being born in Nicaragua is poetically an advantage that not everyone knows how to appreciate,” said González.
As for future projects, the publication of his winning book “Los Nadies” stands out, which will begin to be reproduced after collecting his award. He assures that he would like his work to reach Nicaragua since he has seen the happiness in Nicaraguans through social networks and their desire to be able to read his writings. «I want to focus on the present and let this serve as an inspiration, we have won one of the most important awards for young poetry in Spain, or rather, in Nicaragua because this award does not belong to William González, it belongs to each and every one of the Nicaraguans”.
«I thank all the people who are sending me a message, who are sharing the news and above all letting me know that they want to read the book. I hope that copies arrive in Nicaragua and, above all, Nicaraguans residing in Spain come to buy it at the nearest bookstore », he concluded.
The prestigious award was created in 1997 by the Department of Culture of the Albolote town hall to promote young poets and give them the opportunity to publish their works through Editorial Hiperión. The endowment of this award is 1,202 euros for the winner, the edition of the winning work in the Hiperión publishing house and the delivery of 50 books to the winner.
