Trois-Rivières, September 6, 2006 - The fourth Jaime Sabines/Gatien Lapointe Poetry Prize has been awarded to Jean-Marc Desgent, for a body of work which has been translated into Spanish. The prize, which includes a purse of 50,000 Mexican pesos and the opportunity to produce a poetry CD, is awarded jointly by the Seminario de Cultura Mexicana and the International Poetry Festival. Juries and winners alternate each year. One year, a Mexican jury awards the prize to a Quebec poet, while the next, a Quebec jury awards it to a Mexican poet.. This year’s jury, comprised of Alí Chumacero (the 2003 Winner), Hugo Gutiérrez, and Vicente Quirarte, applauded Desgent for his textured work, an exquisite marriage of lucidity and passion carrying within it the world and all its anguish.

Luis Estrada, president of the Seminario de Cultura Mexicana, called the Jaime Sabines / Gatien Lapointe Prize a bridge consolidating the poetry of Mexico and Quebec, one that has created a stimulating international exchange of culture, simultaneously spreading poetic tradition and seeking out excellence in the poetry of each country.

Vingtièmes siècles, showcasing Desgent’s self-criticism and relentless perception, earned him much praise and recognition this year : the Grand Prize of the International Poetry Festival, the Governor General’s Award, the Prix Estuaire des Terrasses Saint-Sulpice, We are proud of this ambassador of poetry and congratulate him on these honours.