Miguel de Cervantes Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 43 (2017) Winner
Sergio Ramírez Mercado
セルヒオ・ラミレス・メルカド
Sergio Ramírez Mercado
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1942-08-05 （Masatepe, Nicaragua）
- Nationality
- Nicaraguan (until 2023), Spanish (since 2018)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Residence History
- Masatepe (birthplace) → Managua (long-term residence) → Spain (exile / temporary residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Politician, Journalist, Professor
- Active Years
- 1960-
- Affiliations
- Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN), Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista (MRS), Centroamérica cuenta (president)
- Memberships
- Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN), Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista (MRS), Centroamérica cuenta
- Influenced By
- Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges
- Influenced
- Younger Central American writers (regional literary scene), Contemporary Nicaraguan writers
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (León) | Faculty of Law | — | 法学士 | 1960–1964 | Nicaragua |
National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (León)
Faculty of Law
Degree:
法学士
Period:
1960–1964
Year of Graduation:
1964
Country:
Nicaragua
Awarded the Gold Medal as best student
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Latin American Short Story Award | De tropeles y tropelias | — | Imagen (magazine) | 受賞 |
| 1990 | Dashiell Hammett International Prize | Divine Punishment (Castigo Divino) | — | Hammett Prize (organizers) | 受賞 |
| 1998 | Alfaguara Prize | Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea | — | Alfaguara | 受賞 |
| 1998 | Prix Laure Bataillon | Un baile de máscaras (Le bal des masques) | — | French literary award (publishers) | 受賞 |
| 2000 | José María Arguedas Narrative Prize (Casa de las Américas) | Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea | — | Casa de las Américas | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Carlos Fuentes International Award | — | — | Government of Mexico / National Council for Culture and Arts | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Miguel de Cervantes Prize | — | — | Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport | 受賞 |
| 2013 | Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters (Officier) | — | — | French government | 受賞 |
Latin American Short Story Award
1971
Work:
De tropeles y tropelias
Organization:
Imagen (magazine)
Result:
受賞
Dashiell Hammett International Prize
1990
Work:
Divine Punishment (Castigo Divino)
Organization:
Hammett Prize (organizers)
Result:
受賞
Alfaguara Prize
1998
Work:
Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea
Organization:
Alfaguara
Result:
受賞
Prix Laure Bataillon
1998
Work:
Un baile de máscaras (Le bal des masques)
Organization:
French literary award (publishers)
Result:
受賞
José María Arguedas Narrative Prize (Casa de las Américas)
2000
Work:
Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea
Organization:
Casa de las Américas
Result:
受賞
Carlos Fuentes International Award
2014
Organization:
Government of Mexico / National Council for Culture and Arts
Result:
受賞
Miguel de Cervantes Prize
2017
Organization:
Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sport
Result:
受賞
Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters (Officier)
2013
Organization:
French government
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea
1998 NovelA novel weaving history and memory with themes of love and lost eras; one of his landmark works that gained international recognition.
MemoryReappraisal of historyLove
Translations
- Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea (translated into English and multiple languages)
Divine Punishment (Castigo Divino)
1988 Novel (crime / social novel)A novel addressing social and political themes; internationally recognized and awarded the Dashiell Hammett prize.
JusticePowerSocial violence
Translations
- Divine Punishment (English translation)
Tongolele Didn’t Know How to Dance (Tongolele no sabía bailar)
2021 Crime novel / Detective fictionA detective novel set against the backdrop of the 2018 protests, portraying political circumstances and social tensions; part of a contemporary trilogy.
Political repressionJusticeMemory and truth
Translations
- Tongolele Didn’t Know How to Dance (translated into several languages)
The Sky Weeps for Me (El cielo llora por mí)
2009 NovelA work intertwining personal reflections with social background; available in English translation among others.
LossPersonal history
Translations
- The Sky Weeps for Me (English translation)
Bibliography
- Cuentos (1963)
- Tiempo de fulgor (1970)
- De Tropeles y Tropelías (1971)
- Castigo Divino (1988)
- Margarita, está linda la mar (1998)
- El cielo llora por mí (2009)
- Ya nadie llora por mí (2017)
- Tongolele no sabía bailar (2021)
- El caballo dorado (2024)
Translations of Works
- The Sky Weeps for Me (English translation of El cielo llora por mí)
- Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea (translated into English, French, etc.)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist narrativeInfluences of magical realismPolitical and allegorical elements
- Recurring Motifs
- Memory and historyRevolution and powerUrban vs. provincial lifeIdentity
Legacy
Sergio Ramírez is a leading contemporary Nicaraguan writer and former politician. He has received numerous international literary awards and left a significant mark on Spanish-language literature. In recent years his exile and loss of Nicaraguan nationality have drawn attention alongside his literary legacy.
Academic Societies
- Centroamérica cuenta (literary festival)
In Popular Culture
- Frequently referenced in films, documentaries and cultural events as a key figure of Central American literature.
Trivia
- Served as Vice President of Nicaragua from 1985 to 1990.
- Won the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 2017.
- Granted Spanish citizenship in 2018; stripped of Nicaraguan nationality in 2023.
- Forced into exile in 2021 amid repression of the opposition.
- Notable works include Margarita, está linda la mar; Castigo Divino; Tongolele no sabía bailar.