By Prensa Latina

Cuban writer and poet Nancy Morejon said she was surprised for the work/life award granted to her recently in San Francisco, California, by the Latin American Studies Association (LASA).

“It took me by surprise; I did not expect it,” the author of “Piedra Pulida” (Polished Stone) told Prensa Latina.

She said it is not a book or an essay; it is an important award that recognizes an author’s career.

Born on August 7, 1944, Morejon is one of the most prestigious writers and poets in the Island, and has devoted part of her career to study Caribbean literature and the work by Nicolas Guillen.

She is a full member of the Cuban Academy of Language since 1999, and was awarded the National Literature Prize in 2001.

She also is bestowed with the Officer of the National Order of Merit of France.

Considered the largest association around the world, LASA groups figures and institutions devoted to Latin American studies. Its main mission is promoting intellectual debate, research and teaching about the region.

US Prize Awarded to Cuban Poet Nancy Morejon