María Elena Llana nominated for the 2026 Cervantes Prize

María Elena Llana was nominated for the 2026 Miguel de Cervantes Prize, becoming the third known Cuban woman to contend for the honor. Her candidacy was promoted by Alejandra Giovanna Amatto, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and jury member representing the Union of Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Llana, 90, said she was “very happy” and described the nomination as “the greatest honor” she could aspire to receive. She was born in Cienfuegos on January 17, 1936, and received Cuba’s National Literature Prize in 2023.

Her career spans print journalism, radio, television and news agencies. She published her first work, La reja, in 1965. Her books include Casas del Vedado, Castillos de naipes, Ronda en el Malecón and Tras la quinta puerta.