Lupo Hern?ndez Rueda was awarded the National Book Fair?s Eduardo Le?n Jimenes Prize for “C?digo de trabajo anotado”. This decision of the jury came as a surprise, as Hern?ndez Rueda, who is also an award-winning poet, was being honored for his authorship of the Dominican Republic’s Labor Code, clearly not in the category of literature. The legal documents was nevertheless commended for its judicial importance and erudite language, as well as its contribution to the nation. The papers comment that the work itself has a colorful history: Hern?ndez Rueda started work on it in 1974 and shortly after its completion in 1988, the manuscript was destroyed in a house fire. In 1991 he was called on to work on the new Labor Code, which is now being acclaimed. The prize includes a cash sum of RD$200,000.
Lupo Hern?ndez Rueda was born in 1930 and formed part of the “1948 Generation” of young Dominican literary figures. He has won the Salom? Ure?a National Poetry Prize twice, and his most recent work is “Esta peque?a isla”, a book of poems published last July. Most critics had been expecting young novelist Pedro Antonio Valdez’ acclaimed controversial bestseller “Carnaval de Sodoma” (Alfaguara Press) to win.
List?n Diario’s editorial comment praises the organizers for the success of this year’s Book Fair, which by all accounts has been cleaner and better organized than in previous years, due to the reduction in number of food stalls. Booksellers have reported good sales after a slow start, and the most popular categories for book buyers are said to be self-help titles and historical works.