Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches 9 that always manage to move the reader. All this reveals his intense love for the written word, his deep respect for literature and a capacity for expressing beauty and its different forms that amazes us. In his original language or in the magnificent Spanish translations of his books, John Banville emerges as a virtuoso possessing a mastery of language that allows him, under the pseudonym Benjamin Black, to write works of an entirely different tone and theme, works written with a faster- paced, more efficient style, though nonetheless intense. The reverie in which he states he writes envelops his work in a special, distinctive light; a light on which the colours of reality constantly depend, as his much admired James Joyce put it. The Award for International Cooperation has been conferred on the Fulbright Program, sponsored by the United States Government and currently active in 150 countries. Knowledge, reason and compassion are the three words that the creator of the program, Senator Fulbright, used to define its aims. Three words that explain the intense activity the Program has undertaken since 1946 and the excellence it has maintained, preserved and fomented since then. The Fulbright Program is an instrument for peace and friendship among nations, which, as our fellow countryman Jovellanos stated more than 200 years ago, are more prosperous and fortunate when their prime fountainhead is a public education of excellence. With this same conviction, those in charge of the Fulbright Program are well aware that their work is a form of cultural exchange, dialogue and understanding. It is, in short, an experience based on the defence and avowal of the highest values of the human spirit and hence has borne the best fruits and will continue to do so in the future. Since the late 1950s, Spain has enjoyed the benefits of the Fulbright Program through scholarships granted by the Fulbright Commission. Thanks to these scholarships, thousands of Spanish students have studied in the USA and thousands of Americans have likewise done so in Spain, thereby creating over the years a network of cooperation between our countries which —as I recalled last September at the Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York— share the same values of democracy and freedom. This network is a symbol of the excellent relations that unite us and that —thanks to the exchange of knowledge, ideas, culture and science— have been strengthened and become more enduring. We are pleased that this is so and we are also confident this network will continue to be strengthened, much to the satisfaction of both countries. The New York City Marathon, the most popular race of its kind held in the world, has received the Award for Sports this year. This is a race built on the enthusiasm of thousands of people —both professionals and amateurs—who enjoy running through city streets, transforming them for a few hours into a show of solidarity, effort, dignity and sportsmanship. It is likewise a personal challenge for the participants, a race that provides the wonderful feeling of taking part in an extraordinary event that also attracts over two million spectators and which counts on the support of more than 9,000 volunteers. This all makes the New York City Marathon an example, a model of peaceful coexistence and unity, a sporting event created and held for the sole, engaging purpose of enjoying running together. It is an authentic example of the grandeur of being united, of advancing together, with generosity and sportsmanship, looking to the horizon of a common goal shared by one and all. Finally, ladies and gentlemen, journalist Caddy Adzuba, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has received the Award for Concord. As Gandhi put it so cogently, “The most atrocious of all bad acts committed by people is the silence of good people.” And Azduba does not wish to be silent… cannot be silent… is not willing for silence to spread over the barbarism and violence suffered by women and children in her country —and in many other countries—, because only through truth can answers and solutions be found to prevent, stop or repair these evil acts. “Society needs moral references to admire and respect; ethical principles to recognize and observe; civic values to preserve and foster.”