The Guadalajara Literature Award
Javier Dávila, Mexico City
For the second consecutive year, the annual literary award of the Guadalajara Book Fair (Mexico) is not going by its original name: the Juan Rulfo Award. In this article, I propose definitively abandoning the name Juan Rulfo and calling it the Guadalajara Literature Award in 2008.
In 1991, the first Juan Rulfo Award for Latin American and Caribbean Literature was given at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (Mexico). As the fair grew, the award became increasingly prestigious. The list of recipients included well-known literary figures. However, approximately two years ago, the Juan Rulfo family requested that his name be removed from the prize, with a poor argument: according to the family, the 2005 winner, Tomás Segovia, had questioned Rulfo’s intellectual standing. If you reread Segovia’s statements ("I have always though that he [Rulfo] is a very peculiar writer. I think he is the type of writer who has a pure gift: he is a mysterious writer. No one knows why Rulfo has the talent he has,") and the statements made by the poet after the heirs demanded the name be removed, it becomes clear that this was merely a random excuse for the family to end a problematic relationship: from the statements themselves, it is impossible to discover the truth.
One could conclude that the Rulfo family got the worst of the deal: in addition to appearing fussy and even absurd, the family has tried to turn the name Juan Rulfo into a trademark and subsequently lost the legal battles to retain his name. The truth here, however, is that everyone loses. The award, for example, loses prestige. Who wants to receive a prize from a blushing jury and not know the name of the award? The news related to the award is no longer about literature, but about what name the award goes by. The civil association is also having a time of it, because it insists on using the name Juan Rulfo, which is something like adding flame to the fire. Or should we believe the Rulfo family and its claims that the organizers have another agenda, one that goes beyond literature? I wish we knew who to believe.
And that’s not all. The award has a lengthy name: the Award for Latin American and Caribbean Literature. According to what I understand of geography, this excludes the Spanish writers who have in fact made their way onto the list: Juan Marsé and Juan Goytisolo.
As if all this weren’t enough, the call for works in 2007 states that, "The award recognizes the scope of an author’s work in any literary genre." Nonetheless, the last award went to Carlos Monsiváis, journalist and essay writer: an admirable author, no doubt - a creative, intelligent and scholarly writer with an impressive memory - but not someone who could be included among the great creators of literary works in the Spanish language.
The fact is that the award has been slipping, and that the whole affair is now a big mess.
On September 3rd of this year, the new winner was announced: Fernando del Paso, a true creator of literature. With Fernando del Paso, one has the feeling that the award has come full circle. Del Paso was one of the first organizers of the literature prize approximately 20 years ago. In addition, he was a friend of Rulfo, and in the meanderings of José Trigo and Palinuro de México, Rulfian echoes can be clearly heard. In the press conference held after the announcement of the award, Del Paso declared: "I accept this award with its original name: the Juan Rulfo Literature Award." Del Paso has lived in Guadalajara for the past few years, and he had decided to come for the announcement of the award in spite of the fact that he is undergoing medical treatment. His presence – and his statements - spoke highly of the award. Echoing the words of others, Del Paso declared that the authors are the ones who make an award prestigious, not the other way around, and that he himself has exemplified this in his actions.
It is a good time to come full circle and to continue progressing. May Del Paso be the last Juan Rulfo winner and in the next call for nominees – one open to the Iberian Peninsula – let’s simply call it "the Guadalajara Literature Award."
Reprinted with the kind permission of the author and of Addenda et Corrigenda, blog about publishing in Spanish
