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Humberto Ak'ab'al also Ak'abal or Akabal (born 1952 Momostenango, Totonicapán department) is a K'iche' Maya poet from Guatemala. Ak’ab’al writes in his native language of K’iche’, and then translates his poetry into Spanish. With the translations of his works into numerous languages and international recognition, Ak’ab’al is considered to be "the most renown Maya Ki'che' poet" in the world.

Early Life
Ak’ab’al was born in 1952 in Momostenango, Totonicapán. His formal education ceased at age twelve, when he left school to help financially support his family. He worked in his village as a shepherd and weaver, until leaving to find work in Guatemala City as a street vendor and porter. Despite his grandfather’s cautions that “books can make you lose your mind,” Ak’ab’al decided to venture into the world of poetry. His mother, conversely, served as a source of support and influence in this choice, as she “planted in [him] an interest in the word” as a way to “continue [his] elders’ tradition.”

Translations
Ak’ab’al originally began writing his poetry in Spanish, "because he was 'illiterate' in his own mother tongue," but eventually started to write in K’iche’ in the 1980s. Despite the fact that his own Spanish translations made his works available to a wider audience, Ak’ab’al was unable to find a publisher interested in printing his K'iche' work until 1993.

Since gaining popularity, Ak’ab’al’s poetry has been translated into many different languages, including French, English, Estonian, Scots, German, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Magyar, Arabic, and Italian.

Criticism
Many scholars have praised Ak’ab’al’s work as an expression of his indigenous tradition. Literary critic Carlos Montemayor asserts that "Humberto Ak'abal embodies indigenous consciousness, its languages, its greatness, its spirituality, its music, its songs, as well as the consciousness of Latin America itself." Chilean historian Miguel Rojas Mix wrote that “Ak’abal sings like the birds, speaks maya-k’iche’ and thinks like we’d wish most men thinked.”

Awards
Ak'ab'al has been given many awards and honors from around the globe, including:


 * (1993) the Quetzal de Oro from the Guatemalan Association of Journalists.
 * (1995) a Diploma Emeretissimum from the Humanities faculty of University of San Carlos of Guatemala.
 * (1997) the Swiss Blaise Cendrars prize.
 * (1998) the Premio Continental Canto de América UNESCO prize.
 * (2004) the "Pier Paolo Passolini" international poetry prize.
 * (2005) a Chevalier (Knight) membership of the Order of Arts and Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) from the French Ministry of Culture.
 * (2006) the Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, N.Y. USA.
 * (2010) the dedication of the International Book Fair of Le Mans, France.
 * (2017) the “Reconcimiento a la trayectoria” diploma from the state of Campeche, Mexico.

Selected Bibliography

 * Guardián de la caída de agua ("Guardian of the Waterfall" in English) [1993]
 * Poems I Brought Down from the Mountain [1999]
 * Con los ojos despues del mar (Vado ancho) [2000]
 * Ovillo De Seda [2001]
 * Ch'analik [2004]
 * Entre patojos / Among patojos [2005]
 * Drum of Stone [2010]

Personal Life
After starting his career as a poet, Ak'ab'al moved back to his village. He still lives in Momostenango, where he focuses solely on his writing.