The bookseller's trade has an almost archaeological condition: that of rescuing, from among the constant rain of novelties that flood the tables every week, those titles that present an indisputable literary quality. With this premise, the Sala Paral·lel 62 in Barcelona hosted on the night of June 17 the awards ceremony for the XXVII Llibreter Prize, one of Catalonia's literary events, where the verdict does not depend on sales figures, but on the criterion and vote of the professionals of the Booksellers' Guild.
The event was presented by the journalist and writer Elisenda Roca and began with the opening speech by Xavier Vidal (Librería Nollegiu) who vindicated the figure of the bookseller as a cultural agent and a human and proximity reference, in contrast to the algorithm. The main protagonists of the evening, however, were the six books awarded in their respective categories, as well as the emotional tribute paid to two women closely linked to the world of letters.
Sau, the myth of Ferran Garcia wins the Catalan Literature Prize
The Catalan Literature award went to Ferran Garcia Moreno for his latest novel, Sau (published by Males Herbes). The author, born in the plain of Vic in 1971, had already demonstrated with Guilleries (2022) his style that moves between violence, beauty, and darkness. With Sau, the author constructs a tragedy where the landscape becomes another character.
The novel presents us with two stories destined to meet in time: on the one hand, the return of the Sala de Bruc to the plain of Vic at the beginning of the 20th century, bringing with them two slaves from the plantations of Guinea and dragging a family history full of shadows; on the other, the horseback route undertaken by two friends to Sant Romà de Sau, at a critical moment when the village is about to be buried by the river waters. Garcia's pen has been defined by the committees as "magnetic and dazzling".
Marina Garcés has been the other big winner of the night
In the category of Essay, Thought, and Other Narratives, the recognition has gone to the philosopher Marina Garcés for La passió dels estranys (Galaxia Gutenberg). Garcés proposes an intellectual adventure that travels through time to speak of the bond of friendship, a key feeling for everyone, but one that always escapes when we try to analyze it. Through these pages, the writer proposes new ways to think about affection without falling into the usual clichés.
From the great American revelation to the power of the illustrated album
The Award in the Other Literatures category has traveled to the United States with Cop de llum, the debut fiction work by Rita Bullwinkel, which has arrived in bookstores with translations by Ferran Ràfols into Catalan (La Segona Perifèria) and by Ce Santiago into Spanish (Sexto Piso). The verdict from bookstores highlights its forceful character. It is a very well-resolved ensemble novel, where each girl has her own style and where the narration is so clean that it leaves all the protagonism to the reader to round out the story.
In the field of the Illustrated Album, the Llibreter Award has gone to El racó de pensar by Pieter van den Heuvel, with translation by Maria Rosich (Editorial Litera). The work stands out precisely for its simplicity: few but well-chosen words and very powerful drawings that invite calm and are ideal for helping young people understand their emotional world.
Children's proposals: books to have fun and think
Children's and young adult literature has shone for its originality. In the subcategory of Children's and Young Adult Literature in Catalan, the winner has been Tina Vallès with Cartes imprevistes (from the Animallibres publishing house). The work proposes a very original exercise in style: an epistolary full of humor starring the different household objects in a house. It is a double-bottomed piece where first-time readers will have fun with the absurd situations, while adults will be able to read a story with a much more complex and acute background. The album features illustrations by Mercè Galí.
As for Children's and Young Adult Literature from Other Literatures, the award has gone to The Iron Giant, the classic by Ted Hughes recovered by Blackie Books, with translations by Marina Espasa (Catalan) and Rebeca González Izquierdo (Spanish). This edition features illustrations by Chris Mould, and has been praised by booksellers for being a fun story that completely overturns the idea of who the villain is and how the world can be made a better place.
The best literary guide remains the human, wise, and professional gaze of our trusted booksellers.
Thirty-five years making neighborhood bookstores beat
One of the most emotional moments of the XXVII Llibreter Award gala was when literature gave way to the people who promote it every day. The Guild wanted to pay tribute to the professional careers of two booksellers who each have 35 years in the trade: Irene Tortós-Sala, the soul of the L'Altell bookstore in Banyoles, and Araceli Clares, a reference at the Hispano Americana bookstore in Barcelona.
The long applause from the sector recognized the value of three and a half decades of personalized recommendations, cultural resistance, and the transformation of premises that have gone from being bookshops to becoming social and cultural spaces. With this celebration of the trade, the Llibreter Awards bid farewell to a great edition, leaving a certainty in the air: the best literary guide remains the human, wise, and professional gaze of our trusted booksellers.
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