Javier Marías, LIBER 2017 Award for the most outstanding Hispano-American author

Marías will receive the award next 5 October in the Real Fábrica de Tapices (Royal Tapestry Factory) in Madrid as part of the the activities of the LIBER Fair, which this year is being organised by IFEMA in Madrid’s trade fair centre.

Through this award, the publishing industry aims to give due recognition to literature that has been hailed beyond the borders of our country thanks to a style that acquaints readers with a way of seeing the world. Indeed, his work has been published in forty-four languages and fifty-seven countries, with more than eight million copies sold.

Javier Marías was born in Madrid in 1951. He is the author of Los dominios del lobo (The Domains of the Wolf), Travesía del horizonte (Voyage Along the Horizon), El monarca del tiempo (The Monarch of Time), El siglo (The Century), El hombre sentimental (The Sentimental Man) (Premio Ennio Flaiano), Todas las almas (All Souls) (Premio Ciudad de Barcelona), Corazón tan blanco (A Heart So White) (Premio de la Crítica, Prix l'Oeil et la Lettre, IMPAC Dublin Literary Award), Mañana en la batalla piensa en mí (Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me) (Premio Fastenrath, Premio Rómulo Gallegos, Prix Femina Étranger, Premio Mondello di Palermo), Negra espalda del tiempo (Dark Back of Time), of the three volumes of Tu rostro mañana (Your Face Tomorrow): 1 Fiebre y lanza (Fever and Spear) (Premio Salambó), 2 Baile y sueño (Dance and Dream), 3 Veneno y sombra y adiós (Poison, Shadow and Farewell), of Los enamoramientos (The Infatuations) (Premio Tomasi de Lampedusa, Premio Qué Leer) and Así empieza lo malo (Thus Bad Begins) ; of the biographical sketches Vidas escritas (Written Lives) and Miramientos (Glimpses); of the Mala índole (Bad Character) stories, and of the anthology Cuentos únicos (Unique Tales); of homages to Faulkner and Nabokov, and of eighteen collections of articles and essays. In 1997 he received the Nelly Sachs Prize in Dortmund; in 1998 the Community of Madrid Prize; in 2000 the Grinzane Cavour Award in Turin, and the Alberto Moravia Award, in Rome; in 2008 the Alessio Award, in Turin, and the José Donoso Award, in Chile; in 2010 The America Award in the United States; in 2011 the Nonino Award, in Udine, and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature; in 2012 the Terenci Moix Award; and in 2015 the Bottari Lattes Grinzane Award, in Italy. All of these accolades were awarded for his work as a whole. In 2016 he was named Library Lion by the New York Public Library. Among his translations, Tristram Shandy (1979 National Translation Award) is of particular note. He has been a professor at the University of Oxford and the Complutense University of Madrid His work has been published in forty-four languages and fifty-seven countries, with more than eight million copies sold. He is a member of the Royal Spanish Academy.

In addition, the award to Javier Marías as the most outstanding Hispano-American author, in October LIBER will award the Prize for Promoting Reading in Media to the newspaper "La Nueva España" for its supplement "Cultura", and the Prize for Best Audiovisual Adaptation of a Literary Work to Juan Antonio Bayona for "A Monster Calls". In addition, the Prize for Promoting Reading in Public Libraries will be awarded to the Municipal Public Libraries System of Concello de Oleiros, and the “Boixareu Ginesta” Prize for Bookseller of the Year will go to the bookstore Lé in Madrid. There will also be a tribute to a publisher for their achievements in the book world, the identity of which will be revealed soon.

From 4 to 6 October at Feria de Madrid, Liber, one of the most important events for Spanish-language publishing, will host 300 exhibitors who will display their latest published works and technological innovations related to the book world. The fair also includes a comprehensive programme of professional sessions to debate and reflect on industry news, as well as the award ceremony and various cultural activities.