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The Cuban writer Leonardo Padura was recognized this Wednesday with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), during the International Book Fair (FIL) 2025, in tribute to his literary and journalistic career “filled with social value, humanism, and critical thought,” as reported by the Mexican institution.
The university explained that the recognition is due to the author's contribution to the cultural and literary heritage of Ibero-America, his ability to reflect the historical and social complexity through narrative, and his commitment to the values of freedom, social justice, and humanism. The UdeG highlighted on social media that Padura is "a voice that has been able to listen to the whispers of his streets."
During the ceremony, the General Rector of the University of Guadalajara, Karla Planter Pérez, described him as “one of the sharpest minds of our time.” “The UdeG reserves this recognition for extraordinary individuals who, through their contributions in any field of knowledge, such as science and the arts, have ennobled the work of humanity. Today, at the 39th edition of the FIL, we celebrate his important literary and cultural contribution,” Planter stated.
The rector recalled Padura's relationship with the university, which began in 1991 when the university press published Pasado perfecto, the first novel in the Mario Conde detective series. "Since then, we have walked together. If Mario Conde is a detective who dreams of being a writer, Leonardo Padura is a writer who dreams of being a detective," she said.
Planter added that the university grants this title "for his ability to reflect historical truth through storytelling and for consistently promoting the values of freedom, critical thinking, and humanism." In her social media profiles, the rector mentioned, "Today we celebrate without a baseball, but you are surrounded by the ever-open arms of this community, which admires and loves you."
The Rector of the University Center for Social Sciences and Humanities (CUCSH), Dulce María Zúñiga Chávez, also intervened to describe Padura as “one of the most lucid, coherent, and universal voices in contemporary literature.” She highlighted his critical perspective in The Man Who Loved Dogs and the creation of the character Mario Conde, “an alter ego of the author himself, a melancholic man seeking the truth amid disillusionment.”
Zúñiga Chávez emphasized that “the crime, in his novels, is only a starting point to explore the everyday life of Havana, transforming the detective novel into a reflection on ethics, memory, guilt, and dignity.” He concluded by describing the recognition as “an act of gratitude towards a writer who has made words the territory of freedom.”
In his thank-you speech, Padura recalled his first encounter with the University of Guadalajara in 1991, when Pasado perfecto was published by its university press after being censored in Cuba. “That edition had errors even in the layout; it was poorly printed, even my name was misspelled, but it gave me the idea that it was possible to continue working with that character. From there, my relationship with the university has been very intense,” the writer shared.
Padura acknowledged that “I don't have any doctorate in Cuba, but in Mexico, I already have two. Mexico is largely responsible for who I am and for having been able to do what I've done.” He added that the UdeG honors him not only for his work but also “for my loyalty, because I have been loyal to the university and because they have also been loyal to me.”
The 70-year-old author noted that the writing process must always have a purpose that answers the question "Why am I going to write something?" This reflection, he stated, is connected to his civic commitment to literature.
“Essentials are found in Cuba, in my home and in my neighborhood; all those experiences have shaped my literature. There I also find the answers to my questions and continue writing,” Padura stated. “With The Man Who Loved Dogs, I wanted to reflect on the various causes surrounding the revolution and the perversion of a great political utopia. This writer of flesh, bone, and obsession is me, and I stand before you, thanking you for this Honoris causa. Thank you very much,” he concluded.
Padura has received multiple accolades throughout his career, among them the Roger Caillois Prize (2011), the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature (2015), the National Literature Award of Cuba (2012), and honorary doctorates from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) in 2017.
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