The Premio Biblioteca Breve is a literary award given annually by the publisher Seix Barral (now part of

Grupo Planeta Planeta Corporación, S.R.L., doing business as Grupo Planeta (), is a Spanish mass media conglomerate operating in Spain, Portugal, France and Latin America. It is the world's leading Spanish-language book publisher. Editorial Planeta, founded in ...

) to an unpublished novel in the Spanish language. Its prize is €30,000 and publication of the winning work. It is delivered in February, to a work from the preceding year.

History

On 14 June 1958, a jury comprising literary critics Josep Maria Castellet and José María Valverde, and editors (editorial director), Juan Petit (literary director) and Carlos Barral (director of the collection), gave the inaugural award in

Sitges Sitges (, , ) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Spain, renowned worldwide for its Film Festival, Carnival, and LGBT Culture. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is known for its beaches, nights ...

, Barcelona. As stated by members of the jury, it was intended to encourage young writers and the renewal of Spanish literature. Due to the death of Juan Petit in January 1964 (replaced as literary director by

Gabriel Ferrater Gabriel Ferrater i Soler (; 20 May 1922 – 27 April 1972) was an author, translator and scholar of linguistics of the sixties who wrote in the Catalan language. His poetical work is one of the most important among the authors of post-war Catalo ...

), the exile of José María Valverde to Canada in 1967, and the death of Víctor Seix in October of that year, the jury was joined by , Luis Goytisolo, and

Juan García Hortelano Juan García Hortelano (14 February 1928 – 3 April 1992) was a Spanish writer. He was born in Madrid on Valentine's Day 1928. His father was a doctor. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, he was sent with his siblings to Cuenca, only returning ...

for subsequent editions. The bases were also modified: for a few years the award took Petit's name as a tribute. In the same way, the Spanish political situation dictated that, in some editions, eligibility was extended to any

Iberian Romance language The Iberian Romance, Ibero-Romance or sometimes Iberian languagesIberian languages is also used as a more inclusive term for all languages spoken on the Iberian Peninsula, which in antiquity included the non-Indo-European Iberian language. are a ...

, although no works in Catalan or Portuguese were awarded. The 1971 edition's jury comprised Luis Goytisolo,

Juan Rulfo Juan Nepomuceno Carlos Pérez Rulfo Vizcaíno, best known as Juan Rulfo ( ; 16 May 1917 – 7 January 1986), was a Mexican writer, screenwriter, and photographer. He is best known for two literary works, the 1955 novel ''Pedro Páramo'', and th ...

, , and

Pere Gimferrer Pere Gimferrer (born 22 June 1945) is a Spanish poet, translator and novelist. He is twice winner of Spain's Premio Nacional de Poesía (National Poetry Prize). He was born in Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeast ...

, with Guillermo Cabrera Infante joining in 1972. However, in 1973 the award ceased to be given due to numerous internal factors (dissensions within the publisher) and external factors (problems with censorship). In 1998, Basilio Baltasar, the new literary director of Seix Barral (by this time part of

), decided to reconvene the prize, with the aim of recovering the spirit with which it was born, trying to recognize both Spanish and Latin American authors.

First era winners (1958–1972)

* 1958 – ''Las afueras'' by Luis Goytisolo (Spain) * 1959 – ''Nuevas amistades'' by

(Spain) * 1960 – Declared vacant; finalists were ''Encerrados con un solo juguete'' by

Juan Marsé Juan Marsé Carbó (8 January 1933 – 18 July 2020) was a Spanish novelist, journalist, and screenwriter who used Spanish as his literary language. In 2008, he was awarded the Cervantes Prize, "the Spanish-language equivalent" to the Nobel ...

(Spain), ''La criba'' by Daniel Sueiro (Spain), and ''Los extraordinarios'' by Ana Mairena (Mexico) * 1961 – ''Dos días de setiembre'' by José Manuel Caballero (Spain) * 1962 – ''

The Time of the Hero ''The Time of the Hero'' (original title: ''La ciudad y los perros'', literally "The City and the Dogs") is a 1963 novel by Peruvian writer and Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa. It was Vargas Llosa's first novel and is set among the cadets at ...

'' by

Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...

(Peru) * 1963 – ' by

Vicente Leñero Vicente Leñero Otero (June 9, 1933 – December 3, 2014) was a Mexican novelist, journalist, and playwright. He wrote numerous books, stories, and plays, including a theatrical adaptation of Oscar Lewis's ''The Children of Sanchez (film), The Chi ...

(Mexico) * 1964 – ''Vista de amanecer en el trópico'' by Guillermo Cabrera Infante (Cuba) * 1965 – ' by Juan Marsé (Spain) ** Finalist: ''

Betrayed by Rita Hayworth ''Betrayed by Rita Hayworth'' ( es, La traición de Rita Hayworth) is a 1968 novel by the Argentine novelist Manuel Puig Juan Manuel Puig Delledonne (December 28, 1932 – July 22, 1990), commonly called Manuel Puig, was an Argentine autho ...

'' by

Manuel Puig Juan Manuel Puig Delledonne (December 28, 1932 – July 22, 1990), commonly called Manuel Puig, was an Argentine author. Among his best-known novels are '' La traición de Rita Hayworth'' (''Betrayed by Rita Hayworth'', 1968), ''Boquitas pint ...

(Argentina) * 1966 – Not given * 1967 – '' A Change of Skin'' by

Carlos Fuentes Carlos Fuentes Macías (; ; November 11, 1928 – May 15, 2012) was a Mexican novelist and essayist. Among his works are ''The Death of Artemio Cruz'' (1962), ''Aura'' (1962), '' Terra Nostra'' (1975), ''The Old Gringo'' (1985) and ''Christopher ...

(Mexico) ** Finalist: ''El mercurio'' by (Spain) * 1968 – ''País portátil'' by Adriano González León (Venezuela) * 1969 – ''Una meditación'' by

Juan Benet Juan Benet (7 October 1927 – 5 January 1993) was a Spanish novelist, dramatist and essayist who also worked as a civil engineer. Early life Benet was born in Madrid. At the start of the Spanish Civil War, his father was killed, and he left for ...

* 1970 – Due to internal problems at the publisher, no award was given in this edition. It would have gone to ''

The Obscene Bird of Night ''The Obscene Bird of Night'' ( es, El obsceno pájaro de la noche, 1970) is the most acclaimed novel by the Chilean writer José Donoso. Donoso was a member of the Latin American literary boom and the literary movement known as magical realism. ...

'' by

José Donoso José Manuel Donoso Yáñez (5 October 1924 – 7 December 1996), known as José Donoso, was a Chilean writer, journalist and professor. He lived most of his life in Chile, although he spent many years in self-imposed exile in Mexico, the United ...

(Chile). * 1971 – ''Sonámbulo del sol'' by Nivaria Tejera (Cuba) * 1972 – ''La circuncisión del señor solo'' by José Leyva (Spain)

Second era winners (1999–present)

Notes

References

External links

Premio Biblioteca Breve
at

{{Authority control 1958 establishments in Spain 1973 disestablishments in Spain 1998 establishments in Spain Awards disestablished in 1973 Awards established in 1958 Awards established in 1998 Spanish literary awards