Children’s Literature Kicks Off Summer at the Provincial Book Center in Matanzas
The «Sábado del libro» (Saturday of the Book) was dedicated to children’s literature with the presentation of «Por las esquinas del mar» (Around the Corners of the Sea) by Noel Oliva, at the Rueda Dentada park in the city of Matanzas.
«This book is the result of many years of work in literary workshops and participation in events. The theme of the sea is very recurrent and has always been special in my life because I was originally from Jagüey Grande and was quite close to the beach.
«It was always a charm to be able to learn about its mysteries, about everything the sea holds, what it brings us, and memories and experiences always come to the surface. Those experiences are there, in these poems, the things I wondered about as a child and couldn’t find explanations for. The idea was for children to learn about some of the things that would connect them with the sea.»
«Por las esquinas del mar» is the third book in the Children’s Poetry collection of Ediciones Aldabón. It contains romances, ovillejos, quatrains, and décimas that attest to the author’s mastery of technique, craft, and sensitivity, as expressed in his presentation remarks by Daniel Cruz Bermúdez, coordinator of the publishing house of the Hermanos Saíz Association in Matanzas.
«The book gives us great satisfaction. It is true that we like to publish the first books of young writers and for them to say in the future ‘my first book was published by Ediciones Aldabón’ — that is something beautiful for us; but we are also inspired by those authors who publish their first book in adulthood.
«It gives us great joy because it is the process of legitimizing an author; that is, Noel ceases to be a novice author and becomes a legitimized one. We have several books by mature authors in our catalog, and whenever we go to discuss national plans with the Association, when we propose a book with those characteristics, they approve it.»
According to Cruz Bermúdez, also the book’s editor, the book has the magic of the sea and is made for a city like this.
«The editing process of the book was beautiful because he is an author you can work with; you suggest something to him and he immediately starts imagining your proposal; he is an author who writes well and has imagination for children’s literature. In his work, there are none of those diminutives that are sometimes exaggerated in children’s literature.
«That is why I spoke of a return to tenderness in the collection with this book, because since we published ‘Rosa de los vientos’ (Rose of the Winds) by José Manuel Espino in 2018, no quality book had reached us and we couldn’t publish children’s poetry; the collection practically did not advance. With this book, we achieved it.
«It is a book made for Matanzas, which has the sea so close, with all the growth the city has experienced, all the splendor it has had over the years, and this is a book for Matanzas.»
With designs by Johan Trujillo, «Por las esquinas del mar» is Noel Oliva’s first published book. Its presentation kicked off the literature program for the Matanzas summer.
