Matos Moquete’s ISFODOSU publication wins National Book Fair Award 2024

Santo Domingo.- Renowned Dominican writer Manuel Matos Moquete has been awarded the prestigious Eduardo León Jimenes National Book Fair Award 2024 for his latest work, El crisol y la criba. Relatos de aprendizaje (The Crucible and the Sieve: Tales of Learning), published by the Instituto Superior de Formación Docente Salomé Ureña (ISFODOSU).

The award, presented by the Eduardo León Jimenes Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, honors Matos Moquete’s literary trajectory and recognizes ISFODOSU‘s commitment to promoting culture and education in the Dominican Republic.

El crisol y la criba is more than just an autobiography; it’s a profound exploration of Dominican identity, education, and cultural heritage. Matos Moquete takes readers on a journey through his life as an educator and writer, sharing his insights and experiences.

During the award ceremony, Matos Moquete expressed his gratitude for the recognition and his hope that the book would inspire others. He reflected on his lifelong relationship with literature, beginning in his childhood in Tamayo.

The award jury, consisting of Gerardo Roa Ogando, Priscilla Velásquez Rivera, Jochy Herrera, and Joan Ferrer (ex officio), recognized the book’s profound impact on the formative value of education.

The 27th edition of the Eduardo León Jimenes National Book Fair Award received 53 literary submissions. The award carries a prize of one million Dominican pesos.

María Amalia León, president of the Eduardo León Jimenes Foundation, emphasized the importance of books as a unifying force. Minister of Culture Milagros Germán celebrated the award as a forward-looking initiative.

After the ceremony, Matos Moquete expressed his gratitude to ISFODOSU, especially its rector, Dr. Nurys del Carmen González Durán, and the Publications Department team: Miguelina Crespo (editorial direction), Julissa Ivor Medina and Yelitza Sosa (layout and cover design), and Adrian R. Morales González and Vilma Martínez (editing and proofreading).

A gem in ISFODOSU’s editorial catalog

El crisol y la criba was officially presented at the 25th Santo Domingo International Book Fair 2023. At the book launch, renowned intellectuals Manuel Núñez, Emilia Pereyra and Carlos Cabrera offered their insights and commentary.

Dr. González Durán expressed her joy that Matos Moquete had chosen ISFODOSU to publish the work, aligning with the institution’s mission of training outstanding educators.

Book launch of “El crisol y la criba” during the 25th Santo Domingo International Book Fair 2023. From left to right: Manuel Núñez, Manuel Matos Moquete, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Franklin García Fermín, ISFODOSU Rector Nurys González, Emilia Pereyra and Carlos Cabrera. (Photo: Isfodosu)

Manuel Matos Moquete has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the National Novel Prize in 1983 for En el atascadero, several Annual Essay Prizes, and the National Didactics Prize in 2005. In 2009, the Association of Journalists and Writers awarded him the Caonabo de Oro Prize in recognition of his literary trajectory.

He also won the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National Essay Prize in 2012 and was honored with the National Literature Prize in 2019. In addition to these distinctions, he is a corresponding member of the Royal Spanish Academy and a full member of the Dominican Academy of Language and the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic.

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By Adrian R. Morales G.
Senior Staff Writer