Cuban writer Antonio Orlando Rodriguez is the latest recipient of Spain’s Alfaguara Award for literature for his novel Chiquita:

The award, which includes a prize of $175,000, is one of the most prestigious in the Spanish language. A total of 511 works were considered, the Alfaguara publishing house, which organizes the prize, said Monday.

The novel’s protagonist is Espiridiona Cenda, a diminutive Cuban singer-dancer. The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century.

We smell a movie deal! And we hear the plaintive wails of ABBA’s “Chiquitita!” We can’t help it.

Rodriguez wins Alfaguara literary prize [Yahoo]