Overview

• Álvaro Pombo received the Premio Cervantes 2024, Spain's highest literary honor, in a ceremony at the University of Alcalá de Henares.
• Despite health concerns, Pombo attended the event, where King Felipe VI and Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun presided under official mourning for Pope Francis.
• Mario Crespo, a writer and historian, delivered Pombo's acceptance speech, which explored themes of fragility in Cervantes' work, particularly 'El licenciado Vidriera.'
• The Premio Cervantes jury honored Pombo for his 'extraordinary creative personality,' singular lyricism, and original narrative contributions to Spanish literature.
• Later in the day, Pombo was set to inaugurate the traditional telematic reading of 'Don Quijote,' continuing a key literary tradition.