Chilean Poet Raúl Zurita Wins XXIX Reina Sofía Prize for Ibero-American Poetry

Chilean poet Raúl Zurita (Santiago, 1950) has been awarded the XXIX Reina Sofía Prize for Ibero-American Poetry, the most prestigious recognition in its field, presented annually by Patrimonio Nacional in collaboration with the University of Salamanca. The jury's decision honors Zurita's work and "his poetic example of overcoming pain with verses committed to life, freedom, and nature." The prize recognizes the complete oeuvre of a living author whose literary value constitutes a significant contribution to the shared cultural heritage of Ibero-America and Spain. Zurita has engaged in various activities integrating the arts and critically expanding conceptions of art and life. In 1982, his creative work advanced with "La vita nuova," a poem written with airplane smoke over New York's skies, consisting of eight sentences fifteen miles long in Spanish. In 1993, he traced the verse "Neither pity nor fear" on the Chilean desert to be read from the sky. These actions aim to transcend traditional literature toward total art. In 1979, the Colectivo de Acciones de Arte (C.A.D.A.) emerged, devising strategies to mock censorship and create art. Zurita, considered one of the group's most radical members, performed using his body as medium: throwing ammonia in his eyes, burning his cheek with a hot iron, and masturbating in front of a painting by Juan Davila. His book "Purgatorio" caused upheaval across multiple fields, redirecting Chilean poetry's path.