Cuban Author Antonio Orlando Rodriguez Wins Prestigious Award Of Which We Were Not Previously Aware

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]