Arte Público Press Director Bestowed Lifetime Achievement Award

Nicolás Kanellos, University of Houston Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies and director of Arte Público Press, will receive the prestigious 2014 Enrique Anderson Imbert award from the Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española (ANLE) or the North American Academy of the Spanish Language.

The award recognizes the lifetime achievement of an individual who has contributed to the knowledge and dissemination of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture in the U.S.

The award ceremony takes place June 7 at the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Kanellos directs Arte Público Press, the nation’s largest and most established publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by U.S. Hispanic authors, and the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage project, which reconstitutes the literary and historical legacy of Hispanics in the U.S. from colonial times to 1960. To date, essays, autobiographies, historical and journalistic writings, novels, diaries and letters have been integrated into textbooks and curriculum from kindergarten to high school to college.

“In reality, this award recognizes the Spanish-language voices that have been hidden in U.S. archives for centuries. The ongoing mission to recover this legacy is made possible by the hard-working teams at Arte Público Press and Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Heritage project,” Kanellos said. “Receiving this award encourages us to continue the arduous task of recovering and making accessible our rich Hispanic heritage.”

In announcing its unanimous selection, the jury cited Kanellos’ body of work, which also includes the noted Hispanic literary journal “The Americas Review” (formerly “Revista Chicano-Riqueña”), of which he is the founder. Additionally, his latest book, “Hispanic Immigrant Literature: El Sueño del Retorno (2011),” won the PEN Southwest Award for Non-Fiction.

“It is a real privilege to honor Dr. Kanellos for his dedication and leadership in all aspects of study and advancement of language and culture, and for disseminating these to all corners of the earth, from Mexico to Japan,” said Carlos E. Paldao, secretary of the ANLE.

For more information on the Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española (ANLE), visit http://www.anle.us/

For more information on University of Houston Hispanic Studies http://www.uh.edu/class/spanish/