Madrid - Mexican writer Jose Emilio Pacheco, 70, was Monday awarded the Cervantes Prize, which is regarded as the highest-ranking literature award of the Spanish-speaking world, Spanish Culture Minister Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde announced. The jury described Pacheco as "an exceptional poet of the daily life with depth and a capacity of creating a world of his own."
Regarded as one of the major Mexican 20th-century poets, Pacheco is also a novelist, short story writer, critic and translator.
His poetry books include Los Elementos de la Noche (The Elements of the Night, 1963), El Reposo del Fuego (The Sleep of the Fire, 1966) and No Me Preguntes Como Pasa el Tiempo (Do Not Ask Me How the Time Goes By, 1969).
The Cervantes Prize is worth 125,000 euros (187,500 dollars). It is awarded annually by the Spanish Culture Ministry.
