▁moves ▁us , ▁and ▁soft ens ▁us ▁all ▁at ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁producing ▁much ▁the ▁same ▁effect ▁as ▁when ▁we ▁travel , ▁eyes ▁and ▁heart ▁wide ▁open , ▁around ▁these ▁Latin ▁American ▁lands ▁or ▁the ▁pages ▁that ▁tell ▁their ▁history ." ▁ ▁Before ▁long ▁the ▁novel ' s ▁fame ▁spread ▁around ▁the ▁world . ▁The ▁first ▁award ▁Ast ur ias ▁received ▁for ▁ ▁was ▁the ▁French ▁Prix ▁du ▁Me ille ur ▁Liv re ▁É tr anger ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 2 . ▁ ▁has ▁stead ily ▁gar ner ed ▁further ▁acc laim . ▁In ▁the ▁words ▁of ▁literary ▁scholar ▁Jack ▁Him el bla u , ▁the ▁book ▁is ▁" an ▁avant - gar de ▁and ▁crit ically ▁significant ▁novel ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁Spanish - American ▁fiction " ▁and ▁Latin ▁American ▁history ▁and ▁literature ▁scholar ▁Charles ▁Mac une ▁includes ▁ ▁in ▁a ▁list ▁of ▁prominent ▁translated ▁Latin ▁American ▁nov els . ▁For ▁Mac une , ▁nov els ▁and ▁novel ists ▁of ▁Latin ▁America ▁are ▁" both ▁history ▁mak ers ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁ref lections ▁of ▁the ▁region ' s ▁history ". ▁Un like ▁Latin ▁American ▁newsp apers ▁and ▁arch ival ▁materials , ▁translated ▁Latin ▁American ▁nov els ▁are ▁far ▁more ▁accessible ▁to ▁readers ▁without ▁a ▁knowledge ▁of ▁Spanish . ▁In ▁fact , ▁Mac une ▁shows ▁that ▁ ▁has ▁been ▁well - rece ived ▁not ▁only ▁in ▁its ▁original ▁Spanish ▁but ▁also ▁in ▁its ▁English ▁translation . ▁ ▁Nobel ▁Prize ▁In ▁December ▁ 1 9 6 7 ▁Ast ur ias ▁won ▁the