The author's weak health forced the re-location of the traditional act of April 23rd in Alcalá de Henares, to a simple ceremony at his home in the Valencian town of Oliva.

In his home in Oliva, surrounded by the landscape of his childhood that has inspired his verses, Francisco Brines received the Cervantes Award Medal from King Felipe and Queen Letizia this afternoon. The act was intimate, without formal speeches. It was held in the inner courtyard of the Elca farmhouse, on the outskirts of the Valencian town, where the 89-year-old poet lives. His weak health and the coronavirus pandemic prevented him from traveling to Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) on April 23rd to enjoy the traditional ceremony.

Seated on wicker chairs, among flowerpots, jasmine and a large bougainvillea vine, their Majesties spoke with the poet, his niece Marina Brines, the president of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, the Minister of Culture, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, and the director of the RAE, Santiago Muñoz Machado. They talked about literature, about the last Cervantes awards that have gone to poets and, on this occasion, also to an academic from the RAE, which is unusual.

Read more: El Pais