Cuban author María Elena Llana nominated for Miguel de Cervantes Prize

Cuban author María Elena Llana has been nominated for the 2026 Miguel de Cervantes Prize, the most prestigious award in Spanish-language literature. At 90 years old, Llana becomes the third Cuban woman to be nominated for the prize, following the legacies of Fina García Marruz and Dulce María Loynaz.

The nomination was championed by Alejandra Giovanna Amatto, a professor at Mexico's National Autonomous University and a jury member. Llana, a recipient of Cuba’s National Literature Prize in 2023, has a career spanning over 60 years in journalism and literature. Her notable works include ‘La reja’, ‘Casas del Vedado’, and ‘Tras la quinta puerta’.

Llana expressed that the nomination is ‘the greatest honor’ she could hope to achieve. She joins a small group of Cuban laureates, which includes Alejo Carpentier, Dulce María Loynaz, and Guillermo Cabrera Infante.