"Poet of Two Hemispheres" Award 2023 Granted to Troubadour Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez

August 22, 2023

The fifteenth edition of the International Meeting of Poets in Ecuador "Poetry at Parallel Zero" will present the "Poet of Two Hemispheres" Award 2023 to troubadour Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (Cuba, 1946).

In the city of La Habana, in the month of October, the Festival's board of directors will present the award to the master, along with a delegation of Hispanic American poets and writers who will participate in readings in tribute to the poet.

The celebration for the 15 years of "Parallel Zero" will begin in Cuba, with the presentation of this Award and the launch of the book "Letras de Silvio," a personal anthology published in our "Monstruos" collection.

The "Poet of Two Hemispheres" Award has been given to essential voices of our time: Argentine Juan Gelman (2013), Spaniards Luis Eduardo Aute (2016) and Antonio Gamoneda (2017), and North American Margaret Randall (2019).

It is an honor and a joy for the Festival to be able to recognize Silvio's poetry and the importance his voice has had in our sentimental education.

Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez. Troubadour and illustrator. Since 1952 he has resided in La Habana. In 1967 he made his television debut. In 1968, at Casa de las Américas, he sang in the concert considered foundational of the Nueva Trova, a movement of which he is one of its greatest exponents. Between 1969 and 1970 he traveled along the coasts of Africa with Cuban fishermen. In 1970 he was one of the founders of the ICAIC's Sound Experimentation Group. In 1976, during the war, he traveled twice to Angola and toured the fronts singing to Cuban and Angolan troops. He has an extensive discography. He has composed the music and lyrics for more than 800 songs and provided music for films, videos, and television series. His songs have been translated into French, Italian, German, English, Portuguese, Guaraní, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, and Catalan. He has performed in numerous countries. He has received important decorations in Cuba and abroad. Since 1997 he is a UNESCO Artist for Peace.