Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 16 (2009) Winner
William Ospina
ウィリアム・オスピナ
Uiriamu Osupina
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1954-03-02 （Herveo, Tolima, Colombia）
- Nationality
- Colombian
- Languages
- Spanish
- Residence History
- Herveo (Tolima), Colombia → Cali, Colombia → Paris, France (1979–1981) → Bogotá, Colombia
Career
- Occupations
- poet, essayist, novelist, journalist
- Active Years
- 1974-
- Influenced By
- Lord Byron, Edgar Allan Poe, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, Emily Dickinson, Alfonso Reyes, Estanislao Zuleta, William Shakespeare, Juan de Castellanos
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago de Cali University | — | Law and Political Science | — | — | Colombia |
Santiago de Cali University
Law and Political Science
Country:
Colombia
Left career/studies to devote himself to literature
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Premio Nacional de Ensayo | — | — | — | winner |
| 1992 | Premio Nacional de Poesía | El país del viento | — | Colcultura | winner |
| 2003 | Ezequiel Martínez Estrada Essay Prize (Casa de las Américas) | Los nuevos centros de la esfera | Essay | Casa de las Américas | winner |
| 2009 | Rómulo Gallegos Prize | El país de la canela | Novel | Rómulo Gallegos Foundation | winner |
Premio Nacional de Ensayo
1982
Result:
winner
Premio Nacional de Poesía
1992
Work:
El país del viento
Organization:
Colcultura
Result:
winner
Ezequiel Martínez Estrada Essay Prize (Casa de las Américas)
2003
Work:
Los nuevos centros de la esfera
Category:
Essay
Organization:
Casa de las Américas
Result:
winner
Rómulo Gallegos Prize
2009
Work:
El país de la canela
Category:
Novel
Organization:
Rómulo Gallegos Foundation
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Ursúa
2005 historical novelA historical novel depicting the early life of the 16th-century conquistador Pedro de Ursúa, tracing his descent into greed and violence; a poetic reconstruction of conquest and colonization.
conquestpower and greedhistorical memory
El país de la canela
2008 historical novelExplores expeditions in the Amazon and the voyages of Francisco de Orellana, interrogating the origins and identity of Latin America through narratives of exploration and conquest.
explorationcolonizationnature and riversidentity
La serpiente sin ojos
2012 historical novelContinues Ursúa's attempts to retrace Amazonian voyages and recounts the crimes of Lope de Aguirre; part of a trilogy confronting the violence of the conquest.
violencefailed explorationexposure of history
El año del verano que nunca llegó
2015 historical novel / study of RomanticismUses events at Villa Diodati in 1816 to follow the lives of Shelley, Byron and Mary Shelley, reflecting on the legacy of Romanticism and its resonance in the present.
Romanticismorigins of creationinterplay of past and present
Guayacanal
2019 novelA recent novel that continues his engagement with social and historical themes; detailed summaries are limited.
social critiquehistory
Hilo de arena
1986 poetryAn early poetry collection demonstrating poetic sensibility and perspectives on Colombian landscapes.
naturememory
Los nuevos centros de la esfera
2001 essayAn essay collection containing reflections on culture, history and politics from a Latin American perspective.
cultural criticismhistorical awareness
Bibliography
- Hilo de arena (1986)
- El país del viento (1992)
- Ursúa (2005)
- El país de la canela (2008)
- La serpiente sin ojos (2012)
- El año del verano que nunca llegó (2015)
- Guayacanal (2019)
- Los nuevos centros de la esfera (2001)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- prose that fuses historical narration with essayistic reflectionpoetic and forceful expression
- Recurring Motifs
- conquest and colonizationLatin American identitynature, especially riversreconsideration of memory and history
Legacy
Ospina is acclaimed for works that probe Latin American history and identity; he is highly regarded by critics and peers and frequently cited in academic and educational contexts.
In Popular Culture
- His works are used by universities and academic groups as material for studying Latin American history.
- Included among recommended novels for the Bogota Book Fair in 2015, bringing wider public attention.
Quotes
-
“We had no books and home, but we had all the songs.”
Source: William Ospina, about his father (El Espectador article) (2011)
Trivia
- His family moved frequently in southern Colombia during violent periods of his childhood.
- Lived in Paris from 1979 to 1981.
- Won the Rómulo Gallegos Prize in 2009 for El país de la canela.
- During a 2013 national march, congresswoman Piedad Córdoba read his prayer 'Oración por la paz'.