This afternoon, starting at 7:00 p.m., the presentation of the 2026 Cervantes Prize will take place. the highest award in Hispanic literature with which we seek to recognize the great voices of contemporary literature. In this edition, the four names that are among the favorites are Rosa Montero, Gioconda Belli and Leonardo Padura, whose works recall the love of the writer from Alcalá for freedom.
The main objective of the “Miguel de Cervantes” Prize for Literature in the Spanish Language is to publicly recognize the literary career of those authors whose works have contributed to enriching Hispanic literature. However, this award also seeks to remember some of the lessons that the writer from Alcalá left reflected in his most recognized work, ‘Don Quixote de la Mancha’.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of reading this work and knowing its eccentric protagonist has been able to observe, in his character, a clear tendency to seek independence and freedom. The ingenious gentleman, motivated by the stories of knights that he read from home, decided to embark on his own adventure with the help of his squire, Sancho.
The importance of deciding freely
Two peculiar characters who, despite the difficulties of their journey and the countless mistakes they made along the way, They decide to continue advancing in the search for new stories with which to enrich your life. A lesson that Miguel de Cervantes expressed in a phrase uttered by the gentleman in the second part of his work.
“Freedom, Sancho, is one of the most precious gifts that the heavens gave to men.“, said Don Quixote after being hosted in the castle of the dukes, who had provided him with all the comforts. Despite these riches, the hidalgo understood that true freedom did not reside in economic capacity, but in being able to make a decision independently.
Honor as the second maxim of the ingenious gentleman
Although not only freedom is the only issue that should govern a life, it also highlights the importance of honor. After his reflection, the gentleman continued stating that “for freedom, as well as for honour, one can and should risk one’s life“. In this sense, the protagonist was not referring to the ego or the reputation of his person, but to having clear values and principles and being able to act according to them.
Throughout the novel, you can see how Don Quixote maintains this search for freedom and honor, despite the harsh criticism and laughter that, at times, his attitude and way of acting caused. Precisely, this is one of the main lessons that Miguel de Cervantes intended to leave captured in his pages, reminding the reader the importance of fighting for one’s convictions and always long for a life independent of what others will say.
The authors who have followed the example of Cervantes
A brave attitude that all the authors nominated for their homonymous award had to adopt, who decided to bet on their love for books and face the adventure of following in the footsteps of those they most admired, despite the criticism generated by it. Something that Gioconda Belli, the Nicaraguan author, is very knowledgeable about, who confessed to “Efe” that “Being a woman and writing about women’s things made me pay a pricewhich was that people found my erotic poetry scandalous.”
Likewise, Leonardo Padura, a writer of Cuban origin, decided to use his novels to raise his voice against the injustices that were being experienced and continued in the island country. Something that forced him to remain in the nation and continue listening to his people to “to be able to continue writing as I was doing“, as he confessed to the magazine “Ideele”. A decision made from the freedom and honor defined by Cervantes.
Finally, another of the favorite authors for the award is Rosa Montero, who has expressed on countless occasions her need for writing, which she defines as as necessary “as drinking”. A love from which he decided to make his profession, studying journalism to be able to continue with his love of telling stories. However, and as he confessed, he never stopped creating fictional stories.