Barcelonan Luís Goytisolo is awarded Spain’s National Literature Prize

Barcelona (ACN).- Writer Luis Goytisolo, who was born in Barcelona in 1935, was awarded on Thursday the 2013 National Prize for Spanish Literature. Since its creation in 1984, the € 40,000 prize is awarded each year by the Spanish Ministry of Culture to distinguish the entire literary work of one Spanish author. Such works can be written in any official language of Spain (Spanish, Catalan, Basque and Galician) and are distinguished for their contribution to Spanish Literature. Luís Goytisolo was one of the core members of the ‘Generación del 50’ (The 1950 Generation) in Barcelona. This post Civil War generation of writers, who are considered to be the ‘War’s Children’, have reflected on literature as the ultimate human art form and they have redefined its aesthetics. The jury praised “Luís Goytisolo for his narrative work and his constant commitment towards expanding literature territory”. Earlier this year, the Catalan writer, who writes in Spanish, also won the Anagrama Prize for Naturaleza de la novela (The nature of the novel). This prize is awarded by Barcelona Publishers ‘Editorial Anagrama’ to distinguish the best essay.

The jury of the National Prize for Spanish Literature stressed that Goytisolo’s Antagonía tetralogy, which had achieved international recognition, was “a true milestone in the Spanish novel’s recent history, as it admirably combined history, narrative and reflections on literature”.

A family of writers

Luís Goytisolo was born in Barcelona in 1935, the youngest son in a family of writers. His two elder brothers, José Agustín - who died in 1999 - and Juan Goytisolo who also won Spain’s National Prize for Spanish Literature in 2008, were also novelists, poets and essayists. Luís Goytisolo’s literary career began while he was still a child. He won his first ever prize for Sésamo de cuentos (sesame tales).

He has been a regular contributor to the national and foreign press, by working as the Director of the 'Letra Internacional' magazine, and writing for documentaries produced by the Spanish Public Radio and Television Broadcaster (Radio Televisión Española), for instance Índico y Mediterráneo (Indian and Mediterranean)

A distinguished literary career

Luís Goytisolo has received several awards for his literary works, among which are the ‘Premi Ciutat de Barcelona’ (Barcelona City Prize) in 1977 for Los verdes de mayo hasta el mar (The May shades of green lie until the sea), the ‘Premio de la Crítica Narrativa’ in Spanish  (the literary Prize for fiction in Castilian) in 1984 for Estela del fuego que se aleja (The trace of the firing light that is fading away) and the ‘Premi de la Fundació Pablo Iglesias’ (the Pablo Iglesias Foundation Prize) in 1986 for Investigaciones y conjeturas de Claudio Mendoza (Investigations and rash conclusions on Claudio Mendoza).

In addition, he also received the ‘Premio Nacional de Narrativa’ of the Spanish Ministry of Culture (Spain’s national prize for fiction) in 1993 for Estatuas con palomas (Statues with pigeons) and the Anagrama Prize in 2013 for Naturaleza de la novela (The nature of the novel).

Luís Goytisolo is also a member of the Spanish Language Royal Academy, where he was elected on the 24^th  of March 1994, currently occupying seat C.