Course:LIBR548F/2012WT1/Literary Prizes In The Spanish World
Literary Prizes in the Spanish World
Literary prizes in the Spanish world are awards given to authors who have a well received work, body of work, or for a lifetime achievement. These prizes are awarded by governments, institutions and private companies. The prizes include a monetary award, the publication or the commercial distribution of the work. Some of them are international prizes, others are national, and a few are regional. [1]
Every year, more than 1,700 literary prizes are awarded only in Spain, and most Spanish speaking countries award several prizes every year. [1]
Purposes
Literary prizes in the Spanish world have well established purposes, namely recognize and promote the work of an author, sell books, and both promote and control the literary world. [2]
Types
There are mainly two types of literary awards in the Spanish world: Those with a pure literary purpose, and those with a commercial purpose. The prizes with a literary ambition are usually an award for one year of work or for a literary work as a whole, and are awarded by the State or by a well known institution. Prizes with a commercial purpose are usually awarded to an unpublished piece of work by publishing companies. They aim to boost the career of a well known author, or to launch the career of an emerging writer. [3] [4]
Examples
Miguel de Cervantes Prize
(Premio de Literatura en Lengua Castellana Miguel de Cervantes, or Premio Cervantes). Awarded annually to a writer “whose work has contributed to enrich the literary heritage of the Spanish language” [2] by the government of Spain. The candidates are proposed by the Association of Spanish Language Academies, former winners of the prize, and the jury. The winner receives a monetary award of €125,000 and a position as a jury the following year.
FIL Literary Award in Romance Languages
(Premio FIL de literatura en lenguas romances, or Premio FIL). Awarded annually to “acknowledge a lifetime achievement of a work as a whole in any literary genre” [3] during the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), the most important annual event of the Spanish language. It is awarded to both Spanish and Portuguese writers, and comes with a monetary prize of $150,000.
Planeta Prize
(Premio Planeta). A commercial prize awarded annually by the Spanish publisher Planeta, it looks to place the author of an original and unpublished novel “at high levels of circulation and popularity.” [4] It is the most valuable prize in the Spanish world, as the winner receives €601,000. The runner-up is also awarded with €150,250.
Alfaguara Prize
(Premio Alfaguara)Awarded annually by the Spanish publisher Alfaguara, it gives the winner a monetary prize of $175,000, a sculpture by Martín Chirino, and the publication and distributions of an original novel in every Spanish speaking country.
Other important prizes are Casa de las Americas Prize, Herralde Prize, Romulo Gallegos International Novel Prize, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Prize for Women Writers, and Nadal Prize.
Criticism
Some authors think that literary prizes fail to recognize the literary value of works as the winners are tainted by political, commercial and regional bias. One example is the fact that the Cervantes prize is won every other year by an author born in Spain, assuming that Spain produces as much talent as the other 23 countries where Spanish is the official language combined. [5]
Other authors think that literary prizes in the Spanish world used to discover new talent (Mario Vargas Llosa is an example) but now, with just the book market in mind, praise and promote well established writers. [6]
References
- ↑ Bencomo, A. (2006). "La lógica de los premios literarios. Políticas culturales, prestigios literarios, y disciplinas de lectura en la época de literatura transnacional". Estudios 14:28.
- ↑ Bencomo, A. (2006). "La lógica de los premios literarios. Políticas culturales, prestigios literarios, y disciplinas de lectura en la época de literatura transnacional". Estudios 14:28.
- ↑ Bencomo, A. (2006). "La lógica de los premios literarios. Políticas culturales, prestigios literarios, y disciplinas de lectura en la época de literatura transnacional". Estudios 14:28.
- ↑ Gracia, J. (2006) "La reoca de los premios." Revista de Libros de la Fundación Caja Madrid.
- ↑ Guelbenzu, J. M. (2008). "Cómo se dan los premios literarios". El País.
- ↑ Guelbenzu, J. M. (2008). "Cómo se dan los premios literarios". El País.
Bibliography
Bencomo, A. (2006). "La lógica de los premios literarios. Políticas culturales, prestigios literarios, y disciplinas de lectura en la época de literatura transnacional". Estudios 14:28.
This article reviews literary prizes in the Spanish world from the perspective of the cultural problems created by the globalization. By taking into account the role of States and publishing companies as promoters of books and culture, it analyzed how literary prizes create a market, sell books, support authors and control the literary world.
Gracia, J. (2006) "La reoca de los premios." Revista de Libros de la Fundación Caja Madrid.
This article examines the literary prizes in the Spanish world. It reviews the history of the prizes, their different winners, books and articles about the prizes. It also criticizes the influence that literary prizes have in the literary world by controlling how authors create, companies sell, and institutions fund the world of books.
Guelbenzu, J. M. (2008). "Cómo se dan los premios literarios". El País.
This article is a criticism of literary prizes in the Spanish world. The author uses examples of previous editions, awards in other countries, and his own experience to talk about how the system of literary prizes work.