House of the Americas

Casa de las Américas is a non-governmental cultural institution founded in Havana, Cuba, on April 28, 1959 (Law No. 229), attached to the Ministry of Culture of Cuba (former National Council of Culture). Its first director was Haydée Santamaría (1959-1980). Subsequently, its directors were Mariano Rodríguez (1980-1986) and Roberto Fernández Retamar (1986-2019).

Its main task is to develop and expand cultural relations between the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as their dissemination in Cuba and the rest of America. To do this, it seeks to stimulate cultural production and research. It also disseminates artistic and literary material from America and the Caribbean through promotional activities, concerts, contests, exhibitions, festivals, seminars. It also carries out an important task of publication and collaboration of a scientific and cultural nature.

It has published the magazine Casa de las Américas since 1960. Other publications are the magazines Conjunto dedicated to Latin American theater (1964), Boletín música (1970-1990 and 1995 to date) and Anales del Caribe (1981) with texts in Spanish, English and French.

House of the Americas Awards

The Casa de las Américas Literary Prize has been awarded annually since its creation. Originally called the Hispano-American Literary Contest (1960), it became the Latin American Literary Contest in 1964, and finally in 1965 it acquired its current name.

The main award categories are poetry, short stories, novels, theater, essays since 1960, to which are later added: testimony (1970), literature for children and young people (1975), Caribbean literature of English expression (1975), French-speaking Caribbean literature (1979), Brazilian literature (1980) and indigenous literature (1994).

Other important awards include the El Gallo de la Habana Award (1966 for theatrical production), Musicology Award (1979), Photographic Essay Award (1981), La Joven Estampa Award (1987, recorded) and the Composition Award (1966 and 1967, resumed in 2004).

Honorary Awards

In the year 2000, Casa de las Américas convened for the first time, and as part of its Literary Award, three other honorary awards:

• José Lezama Lima Poetry Prize
• José María Arguedas Narrativa Award
• Ezequiel Martínez Estrada Estrada Essay Award

These names are not only emblematic within the literature of the American continent, but, in addition, they were linked to this institution, and to the Prize itself, since its early years.

The Cuban Lezama Lima was a jury on three occasions, the Peruvian Arguedas on another, and the Argentine Martínez Estrada not only acted as such but was the first to win the essay prize, in 1960.

The three prizes –delivered to relevant books originally published in Spanish by an author from our America– aim to spread today's classics as widely as possible.

Since 2002 these awards have been awarded annually.