Manuel Rivas was recognized with the National Prize for Spanish Letters 2024, equipped with 50,000 eurosfor the “extraordinary narrative quality” of his work, which “combines emotional strength and formal beauty”, according to the jury. According to the minutes, “few authors on the Spanish literary scene, based on a firm commitment to their language, have managed to achieve such global recognition.”
His work “accompanies his activism, with a pen which, without indoctrination, stirs consciencesinduces reflection and stimulates reflection towards the defense of linguistic and cultural plurality and towards gender equality. Manuel Rivas, with a powerful and singular voice, creates literature and, with it, once again places Galician writing in the Olympus of national letters”, added the jury, which also highlights “the solidity of a versatile and coherent whole built with sensitivity and defense of historical memory, social responsibility and the Galician language”.
Born in La Coruña in 1957, Rivas is a narrator, poet, essayist, playwright and member of the Royal Academy of Galicia. His work in the Galician media and in the rest of the Spanish state stands out, covering both the direction of newspapers (such as the magazine Lights), as chronicled in newspapers such as The country either The voice of Galicia.
As a narrator, his storybooks stand out a million cows (1989), Critics’ Prize; In wild company (1993), Galician Critics Prize; What do you want from me, my love? (1995), Torrente Ballester Prize and National Prize for Fiction; The carpenter’s pencil (1998), Spanish Critics’ Prize and adapted for the cinema by Antón Reixa; Books burn badly (2006), Spanish Critics Prize and Galician Critics Prize; And Newfoundland’s last day (2015).
Among his collections of poems, stand out Walk on the western beaches (1985), Mohicania (1986), no swan (1989), Léliadoura Prize, The blues of the Costa da Morte (1995), The city of the night (1996) or The disappearance of the snow (2009), the latter published simultaneously in all co-official state languages. Much of this production is collected in volume From the known to the unknown. Poetic work (1980-2003) (2003). The latest collection of poems published is The mouth of the earth (2015).
Manuel Rivas has been translated into different languages, he has received numerous awards for his journalistic and literary career and some of his best-known works have been adapted for cinema.
The National Literature Prize recognizes the entire literary work, in any Spanish language, of a Spanish author, whose work is considered an integral part of the corpus of current Spanish literature.
Among those recognized with this award are: Cristina Fernández Cubaswinner last year. Luis Landero, Rosa Montero, Jose Maria Merino, Luis Mateo Diez, Francisca Aguirre either Bernardo Atxaga They are among those who have achieved this in previous years.
