Claudio Rodríguez Fer Awarded 2025 Babel Prize for Literature

Mundus Artium Press names Spanish poet, scholar, and translator winner of prestigious international literary award

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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Mundus Artium Press, based at the University of Texas at Dallas, has awarded the 2025 Babel Prize for Literature to Claudio Rodríguez Fer, a Spanish poet, scholar, and translator. Rodríguez Fer was honored at a ceremony at the University of Santiago de Compostela's Faculty of Philology, where he directs the José Ángel Valente Chair of Poetry and Aesthetics. The award recognizes Rodríguez Fer's lifetime of work advancing literary dialogue across languages and cultures.

Why it matters

The Babel Prize for Literature is a prestigious international award that celebrates breakthroughs in literature that cross linguistic and cultural boundaries. Rodríguez Fer's work is widely associated with avant-garde literary traditions and an enduring engagement with peace, human rights, and historical memory, making him a fitting recipient of this honor.

The details

The award ceremony featured a multilingual recital of Rodríguez Fer's poem 'A cabeleira' ('The Hair'), which has been translated into dozens of languages since its initial publication in 1995. The event was opened and closed by the dean of the Faculty of Philology, Elías J. Feijoo Torres, and included participation from students Claudia Seivane and Fernando Apolinar. Remarks by Mundus Artium Press director Gjekë Marinaj were translated into Galician by Elsa González Álvarez.

  • The 2025 Babel Prize for Literature ceremony took place on February 19, 2026.
  • Rodríguez Fer's poem 'A cabeleira' was first published in 1995.

The players

Claudio Rodríguez Fer

A Spanish poet, scholar, and translator who was awarded the 2025 Babel Prize for Literature by Mundus Artium Press.

Gjekë Marinaj

The Albanian-born American writer who directs Mundus Artium Press and presented the 2025 Babel Prize to Rodríguez Fer.

Elías J. Feijoo Torres

The dean of the Faculty of Philology at the University of Santiago de Compostela, where the 2025 Babel Prize ceremony was held.

Claudia Seivane

A student of Hispanic Philology who participated in the 2025 Babel Prize ceremony.

Fernando Apolinar

A student of English Philology who participated in the 2025 Babel Prize ceremony.

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What they’re saying

“Claudio Rodríguez Fer writes from the edge where homeland dissolves into horizon. In his poetry, love becomes memory, exile becomes language, and resistance becomes song.”

— Gjekë Marinaj, Director, Mundus Artium Press

What’s next

An upcoming issue of Mundus Artium, the press's literary magazine, will include coverage of the 2025 Babel Prize award ceremony, including an interview with Claudio Rodríguez Fer translated into English by Adina Ioana Vladu.

The takeaway

The Babel Prize for Literature celebrates writers and translators who use their craft to foster cross-cultural understanding and connection, a mission embodied by Claudio Rodríguez Fer's acclaimed body of work.