Ediciones Aldabón Honorary Prize Presented to Ulises Rodríguez Febles

Playwright, narrator, and critic Ulises Rodríguez Febles received this Sunday the Ediciones Aldabón Honorary Prize, from the hands of its director Daniel Cruz Bermúdez, during the first day of the contest sponsored by the publishing house of the Hermanos Saíz Association in Matanzas.

As part of the program of the eighth edition of its most important recognition, the Yumurino publishing house dedicated the panel «El señor de las tijeras» to the author of books such as Las últimas vacas van a morir, Béisbol, and Criaturas de isla.

«It has been a marvelous day because we have shared experiences, wonderful things have been said about my work, both the part published by Aldabón and the part that has not been. They gave me the Honorary Prize, which for me is a motivation to remain committed to this publishing house that one feels is one’s own.

«It’s just that as time has passed and I am no longer young, it makes me feel young alongside the new generation of writers. We have even had fun, and we have shared readings; there has been a heterogeneous, diverse audience that has a lot to do with the different moments of my life. It was a lovely afternoon, and here we are waiting for other years and other publications.»

Three author-editors whose work has been linked to Ulises’s intervened in the colloquium, about texts bearing his signature, appearing under the imprint of the publishing house headquartered at the intersection of Milanés and Dos de Mayo streets, very close to celebrating the 28th anniversary of its founding.

Náthaly Hernández Chávez delved into the first book Rodríguez Febles wrote of theater for children and, in turn, the first of puppet theater. Worthy of the National Playwriting Prize, Náthaly valued, Cyrano y la madre de agua stands out for its simplicity and because it finds other ways of addressing themes such as family relationships, love of nature, respect for other people, without its didacticism being evident.

Alfredo Zaldívar referred to the literary debut of the also director of the Casa de la Memoria Escénica: El señor de las tijeras, a book of flash fiction that reflected the coherence that from that moment distinguished a very young Ulises.

An example of this are the themes he addresses from civism and its social character, his subversive vocation, his way of intelligently handling humor, irony, and sarcasm to denounce — sometimes veiledly and almost always starkly. «His works are at the center of Cubans’ conflicts,» Zaldívar commented.

«I am very happy with the book El señor de las tijeras because its reissue was a surprise. I did not know they had published it again for deserving the Reader’s Prize of the year of the Cuban Book Institute and Aldabón in 2022. This is a book I love very much.»

Maylan Álvarez was in charge of the presentation of La doncella errante y otros monólogos para actrices, a text that, she said quoting critic Fefi Quintana, gathers five monologues of women written by a man, namely La ventana tejida; Frida, yo soy María; La maga no soy yo; Emilia habla con los que no la escuchan; and La doncella errante.

Accompanying the dramatic texts are critical views of their staging, as well as records of their premieres and performances, which adds a plus to the volume and attests to the archivist who inhabits its author, always ready to preserve the memory of Cuban theater, starting with his own work.

Many ties link Ulises to Ediciones Aldabón, an institution to which he owes the publication of some of his books. «I am very grateful for this dedication of its prize for many reasons: because the anniversary of Aldabón’s founding is being celebrated.

«I also give thanks for all the affection and editorial rigor they have had during all this time and because, in some way too, I was part of its emergence because I was the literature president at that moment, in addition to the fact that my first puppet theater book Cyrano y la madre de agua was published by this publishing house.»

But his gratitude did not remain only with the institution. For him, the work of those who always push toward achieving noble purposes is vital. «To thank Daniel Cruz Bermúdez for his persistence in getting the two books out, El señor de las tijeras and La doncella errante; to thank the designs of Johan Trujillo, especially in the case of the monologue work, and Norge Céspedes for the exquisite editing.»

A new promotional initiative of the publishing house coordinated by Daniel Cruz Bermúdez was the auction of the book El concierto by Rodríguez Febles, published by Tablas Alarcos.

The Sunday afternoon was enlivened by dancer, choreographer, and teacher Liliam Padrón, National Dance Prize winner, with the performance «Frida,» in an interpretation that seeks to connect with the strength of women, regardless of origin or place of residence.

Likewise, Ulises himself and the young Jonathan Rivero and Alain Gómez Pérez, among the most recent entrants to the AHS in Matanzas, offered readings of short stories. Preceding the afternoon activities, in the space «La hora de Aldabón,» was a panel in which Raúl Piad and Alain Gómez intervened, young people whose texts have been published by publishing houses outside the province, and the presentation of the performative project «Concilio de las aguas.»

Photos by Adversy Alonso, Ulises Rodríguez Febles, and Alain Gómez