Venezuelan poet Lila Esmeralda Torres García won the coveted 2023 “Ciudad de Mérida” International Poetry Prize with her work “Mudar la casa”.
The jury, unanimously, recognized the poetic depth and mystery that surrounds his poems, tracing a journey towards a protected space: home.
Upon receiving the call notifying her victory during the opening of the prize escrow at the José Marti Cultural Center, Esmeralda Torres expressed her joy and shared that the material presented was worked on for a year and a half.
This is his fourth book of poetry, with a background of farewell to a significant house he built and the pain of leaving that place. For her, poetry is healing, and sharing pain through words is a first step toward healing.
Liliana Bolio Pinelo, deputy director of Promotion of Culture, highlighted the interest and talent shown in this edition of the award, which received 359 works from three participating countries: Spain, Venezuela and Mexico.
The International Prize, organized by the Mérida City Council, awards a single prize of 70,000 pesos, along with the edition and dissemination of the winning work in 2024. This year, the call was carried out virtually to facilitate the participation of writers and poets.
Thus, Esmeralda Torres became the second woman to receive this distinction, following in the footsteps of Nadia Escalante Andrade in 2013 with “Octubre.”
For its part, the jury, composed of Dr. Rubén Reyes Ramírez, Miriam Reyes from Spain, and José Gregorio Vásquez from Venezuela, highlighted the dignity of Mérida on a cultural level through poetry and expressed their best wishes for the continuity of the award.
Who is Esmeralda Torres, 2023 “Ciudad de Mérida” International Poetry Prize?
The winning work registered with the pseudonym Irene Villoro and the number 108, is distinguished by its writing stripped of superficial rhetoric, exploring the universe of each moment.
Likewise, the jury praised the elements of balance between tension and meaning, as well as the naked intensity that allows the spiritual and necessary act of moving house.
Esmeralda Torres, poet and storyteller originally from Cumaná, Venezuela, has a degree in Spanish and Literature from the Universidad de Oriente and also has awards in various literary genres, including poetry, short stories, and novels.
The opening was in charge of the Attorney. Mauricio Alberto de Jesús Tappan y Reppeto, from Notary Office No. 45 of Mérida.
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