Spanish priest Jesús Martínez García has been named the winner of the XLV World Fernando Rielo Award for Mystical Poetry for his work «Contemplations».
Upon receiving the award, the winner, Jesús Martínez García, gave a reading of selected poems from his work «Contemplations». The award ceremony was attended by prominent figures such as the Vice-Rector of CEU Abat Oliba University, Marcin Kazmierczak Lach; Guillermo Serés from the Royal Spanish Academy for Catalonia; composer Alejandro Civilotti Carvalho, who received an Honorable Mention at the XI International Fernando Rielo Sacred Music Award; and the winner of the previous edition, Andrea Rodríguez Prat.
The jury also unanimously granted an Honorable Mention to «Letter from the Shadow of the Wisterias» by the South Korean poet Ham Muk, in a contest that brought together 435 poets from 30 countries.
The ceremony concluded with a Poetic-Musical Athenaeum that included the recitation of poems «written to God» by university members and a musical piece performed on the piano.
The Author and His Winning Work Jesús Martínez García holds a degree in Law and Theology, and a doctorate in Ecclesiastical Philosophy with a thesis focused on metaphysics. From this meditation, poems emerge as «loving babblings» that express with profound depth the longing for the Absolute.
Recognition for Transformative Poetry The Award, which this year brought together 435 poets from 30 countries, highlighted the quality of the works submitted. The jury, chaired by Mr. Luís Casasús, President of the Fernando Rielo Foundation, thanked all contestants for «the effort to try to give and express poetically the best of themselves». Casasús stated in his message that all true poetry is transfigurative, as «it creates reality, transforming reality itself and the reader». He emphasized that the finalist poetry collections leave a «luminous mark», as the reader «does not emerge unscathed from their reading».
Honorable Mention and Award Presentation The Honorable Mention of the XLV World Fernando Rielo Award for Mystical Poetry was unanimously awarded to the poetry collection «Letter from the Shadow of the Wisterias» by the South Korean poet Ham Muk. The presentation of the award, consisting of a commemorative medal and a cash prize, was carried out by Marcin Kazmierczak, president of the event, and Luis Casasús.
The work brings together compositions that function as a poetic meditation on the presence of God, which is perceived as paradoxical, hidden, and close at the same time. He has published a dozen books on spirituality and was a finalist for this same award in previous editions (2002, 2013, and 2021). Regarding «Contemplations», the author describes it as «scraps of contemplation». He is a priest of Opus Dei and currently carries out his pastoral work in Zaragoza.
