The books that have already won this year and a calendar of the most important books that have not yet been awarded

Argentine Jorge Luis Borges told a journalist when he learned that he had won the Cervantes Prize: “A grave mistake that I accept with insolence.” Borges, who, as we already know, did not receive the Nobel Prize in Literature (neither Kafka, nor Joyce, nor Pessoa, nor Cortázar, nor Chekhov…) believed, ironically or not, that we do not know, if not Cervantes didn't deserve it either. “Thinking too much about awards, I don't think it's good for the writer's work,” Mario Vargas Llosa also told a journalist a year ago. Arturo Pérez Reverte told ESQUIRE that the Nobel Prize has long ceased to be relevant. And we could go on, because as you can see, there are a lot of comments made by writers about awards, both their own and those of others, because laurels in the field of literature are always a controversial topic.

What are literary awards? a task? Of course, this is also the case for publishers, as an increase in sales is observed when works win a popular award (see the Planeta Award, for example, which is always placed at the top of the bestsellers from the first week). It's the same for authors, who gain fame, recognition and the possibility of continuing to publish later, and how can we forget money, nothing trivial for someone who has devoted himself to collecting letters. Specialized critics, hence the controversy, are the ones whose literary awards are discussed more than others. Is quality always rewarded? Do major publishers use it to promote their authors?

What is clear is that, whether we like it more or less, whether there is pluralism or not, and whether it is more or less true, literary awards have created a canon of literature throughout history. At least in large part. It is also true that award-winning works continue to sell (it is not clear that readers continue to read as much as they buy) and the press, critics, professors and literary enthusiasts echo this. The year 2024 began with important awards such as the Nadal Trophy, which went to Cesar Pérez Gileda. Under dry groundBiblioteca Breve given by Seix Barral, in this edition by Jesús Carrasco of Extremadura for Praise handsAnd the Alfaguara Prize for Fiction by Sergio del Molino Germans. There are several remaining prizes that will be distributed over the coming months. We will add the dates, prizes and winners to the calendar which can be seen below so that no one gets lost with so many prizes and can evaluate their next read.