Palabras de Su Majestad el Rey en el acto de entrega del III Premio Internacional de Poesía “Joan Margarit” a Margaret Atwood

​Il y a quelque chose de mythique dans l'histoire du Canada : sa vaste géographie, ses distances et ses paysages, sa nature inexplorée -et parfois même hostile- et surtout sa riche diversité culturelle.

This has a direct translation in the Canadian character: a practical spirit, a deep respect for nature, an openness to dialogue, and an understanding of society as a synthesis of different contributions. I know what I am saying. As H.D. Thoreau once wrote: "I know it by experience" . My year in Lakefield College School, in Ontario, at the age of 16 to 17, taught me just that.

For many Spanish readers, the first encounter with this immense country came through its literature, and in particular through the works -novels, poems, short stories, essays- of Margaret Atwood.

She herself described Canadian society at the Prince of Asturias Awards ceremony in 2008 with the words I would like to recall today. "Our society has been formed, not so much by conquest and domination, but by constant negotiation and re-negotiation among different cultures, different languages and different points of view".

Atwood's first published book in Spain was in 1987 , and since then her appointments with Spanish readers have been recurring. Let me name some of her titles and do it in Spanish, so Mrs. Atwood can hear how beautifully they sound: "Los testamentos", "El asesino ciego", "Resurgir", "La semilla de la bruja" or "El año del diluvio".

That is how we came to know this brilliant novelist, committed intellectual, lover and teacher of nature, pastry artist, confirmed card and palm reader, astrologer, and -of course- poet... A soul that mirrors that of a whole country. Because only Canada could have produced such a multifaceted personality.

"...Dear Ms. Atwood, dear Margaret, we would like you to receive this prize as a sign of gratitude for teaching us how to read better, how to read our time, how to read our societies and how to read ourselves...."

With her lucid sense of humor, Margaret Atwood has been a witness to the best and worst of our past and present, letting it all seep through her writings, even hinting at some dangers of hopefully far, or never-to-come, dystopian futures . Not as an invitation to pessimism, but as a call to vigilance as we advance in time. Because as she said in one of her books: "in the end, we will all become stories".

Spain is perhaps not as big as Canada in geographic terms −although we are home to a larger amount of people−, but we are −as you− immensely rich, dynamic and diverse in our culture. We are a creative and vibrant nation, the cradle of a language spoken by over 635 million people across the world, including 1.7 million Canadians.

In this remarkable setting offered by Victoria University, I would like to thank all those Canadians and Spaniards, many gathered here today, who dedicate their hard work to culture. You are the best example of all we can do together; and a significant part of our future cooperation is indeed in your hands. Be as creative and imaginative as possible because there still so much to do.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the Cervantes Institute, represented here today by its Director (Luis García Montero), to the Margarit family −dear Mónica and dear Pol−, and to the publishing house La Cama Sol (together with Javier Santiso ). Thank you for bringing poetry to the international stage with a prize that bears the name of one of our most unforgettable poetic voices.

Joan Margarit was also a multifaceted personality. He was not only a great poet (both in catalan and Spanish), awarded with the 2019 Cervantes Prize in literature, and many others; but also an architect and a professor. He was familiar not only with words, but also with structures and symmetries. Among his works in verse, he left us the following thought on the deep meaning of poetry: "Poetry is, for those who write it, a learning to write (about) themselves. And for those who read it, a way of learning to read themselves."

Dear Ms. Atwood, dear Margaret, we would like you to receive this prize as a sign of gratitude for teaching us how to read better, how to read our time, how to read our societies and how to read ourselves.

This is what you have done over a prolific and accomplished career; this is what great literature always does. Therefore, from Spain to Canada, from one great country to another and from deep into our hearts, we extend you our warmest congratulations.

Thank you, Mrs. Atwood.