Just a few days ago we heard the news that the prominent Cuban intellectual Ciro Bianchi - a Cubaliteraria columnist for some years now - will be a member of the jury for the award of the "Miguel de Cervantes" Prize for Literature in the Spanish Language .

The Cervantes, convened annually by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Spain, recognizes the work of a writer, who, regardless of nationality, has contributed with the whole of his work to enrich the Hispanic literary legacy.

Shortly after hearing the news, Bianchi offered his impressions to Cubaliteraria.

How do you receive this news?

It is an honor to appear as a jury in an award such as the Cervantes. In my case, it was a proposal from the Union of Journalists of Cuba (UPEC) to the Latin American Federation of Journalism (FLAP), an entity that has the power to propose juries for that award.

FLAP accepted and followed up on UPEC's proposal, which was finally well received by the award executives. What honors me.

Now the proposal process opens. The juries will now, and before October 10, make ours in order to bring them up for discussion on November 10.

It is good to remember that Cuba currently has three Cervantes Awards: Alejo Carpentier , Dulce María Loynaz and Guillermo Cabrera Infante .

Will there be a fourth Cervantes Prize for Cuba? I wish!

What has Ciro Bianchi done in these months of pandemic?

I have made the best use of my time during the pandemic. I rewrote my book on Federico García Lorca in Cuba, and wrote another on the Havana days of Juan Ramón Jiménez . I prepared a selection of chronicles for Editorial Abril and continued with my weekly pages in the national press.

On the other hand, three of my books appeared in Cuba: Itinerario habanero , El cojo de la Bocina and La Habana, ciudad counted . In Chile my edition of the Diarios de Lezama Lima appeared , and in Panama, The crime of the stain in the mirror . I still have time to take care of the crops in the yard and take care of my pets: José Cemí and Diabla.