According to the organization, Padura's voice is one of the most prominent in current Latin American literature.

The jury made up of Carlos Zanón, as president and by Anna Abella, Lilian Neuman, Esteve Riambau, Rosa Ribas and Daniel Vázquez Sallés as members, has decided to award the Pepe Carvalho 2023 Award to the writer Leonardo Padura. According to the organization, Padura's voice is one of the most prominent voices in current Latin American literature.

His is a voice committed to both literature and Cuba, the great protagonist of his works, whether in his crime or historical novels, genres in which he masterfully moves, blending and transforming to build a story that is as Cuban as it is universal. «Because Padura speaks to us about Cuba and he also speaks to us about all of us, and he does so from a critical and realistic vision, doomed to pessimism -it could not be otherwise when looking at humans closely- but at the same time he shows us the human capacity for dignity, beauty, and especially friendship.

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