SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 17 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Government of the Canary Islands, through the Vice-Ministry of Culture, has named writer and academic Alicia Llarena as the focal point of the ‘Day of Women Writers’ in 2025.

The author will receive a certificate of recognition during an institutional event scheduled for October.

This honour highlights the contributions of a key figure in contemporary Canarian literature, dedicated entirely to creation, thought, and literary dissemination, according to a government statement.

For the first time, this selection has been made by an expert commission, which will also decide on the focus of the ‘Day of Canarian Letters’.

In its assessment, the commission noted that Alicia Llarena’s work is founded on her prominent figure and career, “solidifying her status as an unquestionable figure in Canarian letters.”

The commission is chaired by the Minister of Culture, Migdalia Machín, and includes members such as Horacio Umpiérrez, Víctor Álamo de la Rosa, José Ramos Arteaga, Beatriz Morales Fernández, Katya Vázquez Schröder, Humberto Hernández Hernández, María Isabel García Bolta, Marcos Hormiga, Eduardo García Rojas, and Lázaro Santana Nuez.

A SIGNIFICANT STEP

Horacio Umpiérrez, Vice-Minister of Culture and Cultural Heritage, affirmed that this protocol “represents a significant step towards ensuring transparency and participation of the cultural community in the annual selection of the honoured author, thereby enhancing the promotion and recognition of the literary wealth of the Canary Islands.”

The approval of this protocol is part of Law 1/2023, of 1 March, on the Public System of Culture of the Canary Islands, which assigns the Autonomous Community the responsibility for defending, protecting, and promoting Canarian cultural identity.

Moreover, it aligns with Law 5/2019, of 9 April, on Reading and Libraries in the Canary Islands, which envisions the promotion of reading as a shared responsibility and establishes the necessity of promoting and encouraging Canarian authors.

During the debate, the Vice-Minister clarified that the Vice-Ministry of Culture and Cultural Heritage is actively working on regulations for the ‘Day of Women Writers’.

This framework will include selection criteria, such as the need to consider deceased classic women writers.

He also noted that this event has only been celebrated seven times, contrasting with the ‘Day of Canarian Letters’, which has over twenty years of tradition, highlighting the importance of allowing time to recover other literary figures from Canarian literature.

José Ramos Arteaga and Eduardo García Rojas reiterated the necessity of this regulation in the session.

The ‘Day of Women Writers’ is an annual commemoration held since 2018 in the Canary Islands, aimed at highlighting and recognising the legacy of female authors and has previously honoured Elsa López, Isabel Medina, Olga Rivero Jordán, María Teresa de Vega, Roberta Marrero, Cecilia Domínguez, and María Joaquina de Viera y Clavijo.

A LIFE DEDICATED TO LETTERS

Alicia Llarena is a poet, storyteller, and essayist, as well as a professor and researcher.

She has held the position of Professor of Hispano-American Literature at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria since 1987.

Throughout her academic career, she has taken on various significant roles, including President of the University Ombudsman, Vice-Dean for Academic Organisation of the Faculty of Philology, elected member of the University Senate, and Coordinator of the Spanish Literature and Literary Theory Area in the Department of Spanish Philology.

Since 2005, she has been a Full Member of the Canary Academy of Language.

With respect to research and literary criticism, she has authored over a hundred publications in specialised journals and collective volumes, both nationally and internationally, as well as more than ten books.

Among her most notable works are ‘Cuban Poetry of the 80s’, ‘Magical Realism and the Marvelous Real: A Matter of Verisimilitude’, ‘I Am the Novel: Life and Work of Mercedes Pinto’, ‘Misfortunes of Alonso Ramírez’, and ‘Space, Identity, and Literature in Hispano-America.’

Her research interests focus on magic-realist writing, literary space, women’s literature, cultural studies, Latin American poetry, and Canarian literature.

Her career has been acknowledged by the National Commission for Evaluating Research Activity, earning several prestigious awards, including the Extraordinary Doctorate Award from ULPGC, the Day of the Canary Islands Award for Young Researchers from the Government of the Canary Islands, and the Canary-America Research Award, presented by the Casa de Colón and the Cabildo of Gran Canaria.

One of the key focuses of her research work has been the study and recovery of the figure and work of writer Mercedes Pinto.

In this respect, she has edited several unpublished or lesser-known texts, such as the conference ‘Divorce as a Hygienic Measure’ (2001), the play ‘Any Old Man’, and volumes of journalistic articles like ‘Colour Windows’ (2001) and ‘Upon Flying’ (2022).

Currently, she directs the ‘Mercedes Pinto Library’ collection at Editorial Renacimiento, dedicated to compiling and publishing the complete works of the author, along with new unpublished titles. As an editor, she has also played an important role in recovering the work of poet Pino Betancor.