The Latin American Writers Institute of Eugenio María de Hostos Community College of The City University of New York is pleased to announce that Spanish poet Fernando Valverde has been awarded the 2014 Latino Literature Prize for his collection of poems, La insistencia del daño (“The Insistence of Harm”), published by Visor in 2014.

This prize is awarded each year by the Latin American Writers Institute of Hostos to the best book published, in Spanish or English, by an Ibero-American writer during the calendar year.

“Valverde’s talent and passion is as real as his dedication to the art of writing poetry. I know he will continue to produce great works. The Latin American Writers Institute recognizes him because we stand by his artistry,” said Hostos Distinguished Professor Isaac Goldemberg, who also serves as Director of the Latin American Writers Institute.

In previous years, the prize has been awarded to such prestigious authors as Oscar Hijuelos (the first Latino writer to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize), Oscar Hahn, Miguel Angel Zapata, Ilán Stavans, Laura Riesco, Víctor Manuel Mendiola, Marjorie Agosín, Eduardo González Viaña, Alma Luz Villanueva, and Eduardo Espina, among others.

Latino Literature Prize judges have lauded Valverde’s work for representing a true awareness and a condemnation of reality, in a world that is insensitive to individual and social pain. His work was also celebrated for effectively examining the complexity of existence, the passing of time and the deterioration of beings and things, and efficiently capturing the Spanish and Latin American poetic heritage.

Poetry critic Piedad Bonnet stated, “In these poems, Fernando Valverde reminds us with his powerful images and his emotional strength that time is the substance of which we are made.”

Valverde was born in Granada in 1980. He is one of today’s most recognized and celebrated Spanish poets. At 20, he published Viento favorable as part of the Juan Ramón Jiménez poetry series. He later published Madrugadas y Razones para huir de una ciudad con frío (Visor, 2004).

For Los ojos del pelícano (2010) he received the prestigious Emilio Alarcos del Principado de Asturias Award and became the first poet under 30 to have published two books with the prestigious Visor publishing house. Los ojos del pelícano has been published in Argentina (El Suri Porfiado), Colombia (Ícono), Mexico (Conaculta) and the United States (University Press North Georgia). Furthermore, he has been included in the anthology Poesía ante la incertidumbre and Nuevos poetas en español (Visor, 2011). His most recent book, La insistencia del daño (Visor, 2014), has for several weeks remained in the number one spot of most sold poetry books in Spain.

His poetry has been translated into numerous languages and has received the following awards, among others: The Federico García Lorca Prize for University students, and honorable mentions in the Fray Luis de León and the Juan Ramón Jiménez Prizes, respectively. In 2012 he received the “Premio del Tren 'Antonio Machado'” for his poem “Celia”, written to a new born girl. This poem has been published in many parts of the world. His poetry has been published in several countries, such as Mexico, Italy, Colombia, Argentina, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, Costa Rica, and Chile.

He holds a doctorate in Hispanic and Romance Philology as well as a B.A. in Social and Cultural Anthropology. He worked for 10 years as a journalist for El País and is co-director of the Granada International Poetry Festival. He has recently been nominated for a Grammy for a record in collaboration with the “cantador” Juan Pinilla.

The Latin American Writers Institute is a non-for-profit organization housed at the Office of Academic Affairs of Eugenio María de Hostos Community College of The City University of New York. One of its main missions is to promote Ibero-American literature in the United States.

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique “Student Success Coaching Unit” provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.

Recently named one of the top 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 480,000 students at 24 colleges.