Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

4 O viedo | C ampoamor T heatre | Instituting the Prince of Asturias Awards has been a historic demonstration of sensitivity. They have made a major contribution towards encouraging what we most lack: an awareness of our identity and self-confidence. They are a sign of re-union, a call that reconciles us with our past and an invitation to be what we are. Yet they cannot be ringfenced within the borders of the Hispanic community, for the work and activities receiving the Awards are universal and transcend national borders and the boundaries of given cultures. Sciences have no homeland, or to be more exact, their homeland is human understanding, which is everywhere and belongs nowhere, blossoming wherever the spirit pervades. The laws of science are devoid of local colour, and equations have no identity cards. One might argue that that literary works are made up of words; each people and culture has a language that differs from the languages of other peoples and cultures. This is true. But each language is a vision of the world and each of these visions is a window opening onto other languages. The Slavonic soul is supposed to be mysterious to the point of being impenetrable, but thanks to Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy I can converse in silence with Ivan Karamazov and cry and laugh with Anna Karenina. Poetry is supposed to be impossible to translate. I am not so sure. But what I am sure of is that the history of poetry in every language, particularly in modern times, is the history of many translations; Darío is inconceivable without Verlaine, Elliot without Laforgue, and so on and so forth. What about the visual arts and music? Each of these works, if indeed it is work, is a closed universe that bursts open, not like a frontier, but rather like a fruit or a heavenly body. We do not need a visa to enter their secret chambers; we just need to love them and care for them. The same can be said of the other activities that receive Awards from the Prince of Asturias Foundation, whether it be communication, social solidarity or sport. These Awards go beyond simply acknowledging the work carried out by the Spanish–speaking community. They acknowledge the universality of mankind’s genius and of virtue, which belongs to all men. In the dark times of a return to nationalisms, the Prince of Asturias Foundation Awards remind us that every piece of work is carried out by a man or a group of men, but that its beneficiaries are many: all men. Octavio Paz, on behalf of the magazine Vuelta — Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities 1993 Mexican writer Octavio Paz (1914-1998) founded the magazine Vuelta . — Excerpt from the speech given on the occasion of receiving the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities on 27/11/1993. 27 th N ovember 1993