The Margarita Michelena Fine Arts Prize for Literary Translation 2025 has been awarded to Juan Carlos Calvillo, in the short story category, for ‘Enoch Soames: un recuerdo de la década de 1890,’ by Max Beerbohm,
and to Gustavo Osorio de Ita, in the poetry category, for ‘La nadadora deshuesada. Leyendas metropolitanas,’ by Linda María Baros.
The judging panel, made up of Indira Díaz Hernández, Ana Gilka Duarte, and Margarita León, decided to award the prize to Calvillo on the grounds that his translation 'is very well done; its integrity to the original text is unquestionable, and the pulsating rhythm of the translation accompanies the intense nature of the story. The language is spot on, allowing the reader to appreciate the twists, ironic tones, and nuances, and manages to capture the full intensity of the story's intention, which also contains some very interesting literary techniques'
Regarding his recognition, Juan Carlos Calvillo expressed 'immense joy and personal satisfaction at seeing the work he does every day with pleasure and care being celebrated.' He added that it is very beneficial and welcome that in our country—and, in general, in a world so in need of dialogue—the work of translation continues to be supported.
