The Cátedra Vargas Llosa, with the collaboration of the Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, the Universidad de Ingeniería & Tecnología (UTEC) and the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Lima, has established the Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial Novel Award – Premio Bienal de Novela Mario Vargas Llosa– which is intended to become one of the most prestigious in the world. Its aim is to provide literature in Spanish with a platform for global visibility. This major event aspires to arouse the interest of agents and publishing houses that work with the main languages in the world, to promote knowledge of new authors, to help establish those who are known and to give extra impetus to the careers of those who are already renowned.
The prize, which is worth 100,000 dollars, is a recognition of the Spanish language as a vehicle for literary creation, as a link between Spain and Latin America and as the main asset of more than 400 million people that allows them to make economic and cultural exchanges. In order to give greater publicity to this award, it is presented during the week of literary activities organised with the collaboration of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E). The jury members are prestigious journalists, and thirty or so Latin American and Spanish writers will take part in roundtables and lectures held at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Lima and at the eight Peruvian universities that are part of the Cátedra Vargas Llosa, repeating the successful model used in Spain for the El canon del boom conference
In addition to the guest writers, prominent among whom are Javier Cercas, Rosa Montero, Héctor Abad Faciolince, Andrés Neuman, Alfredo Bryce Echenique and Santiago Roncagliolo, the three finalists shortlisted for the prize are taking part in the literary event. A panel of five members – Spaniard José Manuel Blecua, Brazilian Nélida Piñón, Mexican Christopher Domínguez-Michael, Chilean David Gallagher and Peruvian Marco Martos – will choose the winner at the beginning of March 2014.
The prize winners are given a particularly prominent role in the event in order to ensure that their novels arouse the interest of foreign readers and publishers. The organisers expect this first selection to benefit publishing houses indirectly by boosting sales of the chosen works.
The prize, which is worth 100,000 dollars, is a recognition of the Spanish language as a vehicle for literary creation, as a link between Spain and Latin America and as the main asset of more than 400 million people that allows them to make economic and cultural exchanges. In order to give greater publicity to this award, it is presented during the week of literary activities organised with the collaboration of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E). The jury members are prestigious journalists, and thirty or so Latin American and Spanish writers will take part in roundtables and lectures held at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Lima and at the eight Peruvian universities that are part of the Cátedra Vargas Llosa, repeating the successful model used in Spain for the El canon del boom conference
In addition to the guest writers, prominent among whom are Javier Cercas, Rosa Montero, Héctor Abad Faciolince, Andrés Neuman, Alfredo Bryce Echenique and Santiago Roncagliolo, the three finalists shortlisted for the prize are taking part in the literary event. A panel of five members – Spaniard José Manuel Blecua, Brazilian Nélida Piñón, Mexican Christopher Domínguez-Michael, Chilean David Gallagher and Peruvian Marco Martos – will choose the winner at the beginning of March 2014.
The prize winners are given a particularly prominent role in the event in order to ensure that their novels arouse the interest of foreign readers and publishers. The organisers expect this first selection to benefit publishing houses indirectly by boosting sales of the chosen works.