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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
