The Provincial Center for Book and Literature (CPLL in Spanish) began the year with good results of work and projections aimed at defending the horizon of literature.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Multiple awards for authors from Las Tunas, the emergence of new spaces, the opening of digital publications, the consolidation of competitions organized by the Balcón de Oriente (Eastern Cuban Balcony), institutional alliances, and other elements marked the institution’s work in 2024.
Political and cultural authorities, writers, bookshop staff, and guild workers, among other guests, participated in the assembly, in which several of those present offered valuable criteria in pursuit of cultural development.
Maritza Batista, for example, referred to the urgency of revitalizing El Cornito, the main venue of the Cucalambeana Fiesta, the place where Juan Cristóbal Nápoles Fajardo, El Cucalambé (the greatest bucolic poet of 19th century in Cuba) lived, and the site that hosts (within the Supreme Guateque) substantial spaces such as the Catauro de la Décima (Décima’s Basket).
Marina Lourdes Jacobo, president of the provincial branch of the Nicolás Guillén Foundation (FNG in Spanish), after acknowledging the meritorious work of the CPLL, referred to the need to review, starting with the Provincial Directorate of Culture, the payment of royalties, as the amounts received by writers for a panel or a conference, for example, are still derisory.
Saimy K. Torres, director of the Centro de Promoción Literaria Pablo Armando Fernández, commented on how they have tried to reach out to young writers, even without books published yet, but with works of proven quality, as is the case with the literary workshop El Cucalambé.
“In addition, it is necessary to extend the Literary Crusade to the other municipalities, because the experience shared this year in the capital city was very profitable, the communities appreciate it and it is an intelligent way to make visible the literary potential of our province,” she added.
For her part, Yury García Fatela, leader of the literary workshop El Cucalambé, acknowledged the support provided by the CPLL to young talents and their projects; this much-needed accompaniment is also a guarantee for the future.
The director of the Sanlope publishing house, Acirys Espinosa, said: ‘Although we are still dissatisfied that we have not been able to print several ready-made books, for economic reasons beyond our control, 16 titles have been produced in EPUB and interactive PDF formats, in addition to six printed books. Work is also progressing on the digital book and sales platforms, with 11 booklets already published in Ruth Tienda and others planned for release shortly.
The assembly also acknowledged the over-fulfillment of the sales plan, the conclusion of the banking process in the bookshop network, as well as the constructive actions at the headquarters of the Sanlope publishing house. The birth of the National Meeting of Literary Critics and the Ramiro Duarte competition for literary and artistic criticism were also praised.
The intellectual Carlos Tamayo reflected that taking into account the results of the CPLL and what it means for Cuban culture, more support should be given to this entity by the government authorities and different institutions in the sector. He also warned of the now ‘normal’ presence of kiosks and motorbikes in front of the Fulgencio Oroz Athenaeum bookshop, which is inconceivable, given the significance of this facility.
The results of the last International Book and Literature Fair in Las Tunas, the quality of the magazine Quehacer, and the importance of the promotional leaflet Solo de Poesía were other issues on the agenda.
Meanwhile, the projections included consolidating programming in the network of bookshops, increasing agreements with digital literature sales platforms, achieving the commercialization of the magazine Quehacer, taking the Literary Crusade to the whole province, and awarding the Pablo Armando Fernández Provincial Prize for Creation, among others.
Finally, Maike Machado, director of the CPLL, acknowledged that what has been achieved is nothing more than the result of the love with which all the staff linked to literature work here. That is why, at the end of the balance, there was no lack of recognition for outstanding workers, writers, and institutions that, daily, strive to defend literature, in a land “blessed” about the manifestation, the land of El Cucalambé, Gilberto E. Rodríguez, Guillermo Vidal and other prestigious authors.
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