Eduardo Mendoza receives the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature

▲ The jury declared that writer Eduardo Mendoza is a source of happiness for readers . Photo Europa Press

Armando G. Tejeda

Correspondent

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, May 15, 2025, p. 5

Madrid. Spanish writer Eduardo Mendoza was chosen by the jury as the new Princess of Asturias Award for Literature, an award that in previous years has gone to authors of the stature of Haruki Murakami, Anne Carson, Richard Ford, Leonardo Padura, Philip Roth, Leonardo Cohen, Juan Rulfo, and Carlos Fuentes, among others. Mendoza is a Barcelona-born author who has chronicled with critical humor one of the most tragic periods in contemporary Spanish history: the post-war period of hunger and repression. Upon hearing the news, Mendoza simply stated: "I need time to find the right words. Excited, honored, and grateful seem appropriate, but obvious. I have dedicated my entire life to what I love most, and now I receive this very special award. I am a happy man ."

The jury, composed of writers and intellectuals such as Xuan Bello Fernández, María Sheila Cremaschi, María Dueñas Vinuesa, Jesús García Calero, Marisol Schulz Manaut, and Sergio Vila-Sanjuán Robert, and chaired by Santiago Muñoz Machado, president of the Royal Spanish Academy, announced its decision after meeting in the Asturian capital, Oviedo. In their justification, they highlighted Eduardo Mendoza's decisive contribution to Spanish-language literature over the last half-century, with a collection of novels that combine a desire for innovation with an ability to reach a very wide audience, and which enjoy widespread international recognition . They also noted that his clear prose encompasses both popular language and the most unexpected cultivated expressions. His books are distinguished by their sense of humor and their casual, humanistic vision of existence. Eduardo Mendoza is a provider of happiness for readers, and his work has the merit of reaching all generations, who today recognize themselves in its luminous pages .

Mendoza, born in Barcelona in 1943, has worked in various genres, especially novels, plays, and essays, but he has also worked as a translator. He began his academic career as a law student, which he completed in 1965 at the University of Barcelona. After traveling throughout Europe, he obtained a scholarship to London in 1966 to study sociology. Upon returning to Barcelona in 1967, he practiced law, and in 1973 he moved to New York to work as a translator for the UN, where he remained until 1982. In 1983, he returned to Barcelona and continued his career as a simultaneous translator for international organizations based in Geneva and other cities.

Satire and parody

Eduardo Mendoza's work, generally set in Barcelona and which began with the publication of the novel The Truth About the Savolta Case in 1975, displays a style that blends elements of science fiction, Gothic and noir fiction, as well as a particular sense of humor, satire, and parody.

He later published The Mystery of the Haunted Crypt (1979), The Labyrinth of Olives (1982), The City of Marvels (1986), The Unheard-of Island (1989), No News from Gur b (1991), The Year of the Flood (1992), A Light Comedy (1996), The Adventure of the Ladies' Dressing Room (2001), The Amazing Journey of Pomponio Flato (2008), The Entanglement of the Stock Market and Life (2012), as well as The Secret of the Lost Model (2015).

In addition to the Cervantes Prize, which he received in 2016, Mendoza became the first Spanish author to receive the Kafka Prize in 2015.

A total of 24 candidates representing 16 nationalities were nominated for the Princess of Asturias Awards for Literature in this year's edition. This was the second of eight Princess of Asturias Awards presented this year, the 45th edition. The first was the Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, awarded to the German philosopher and essayist of South Korean origin, Byung-Chul Han. The presentation ceremony will be held in Oviedo next October.

From the editorial staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, May 15, 2025, p. 5

Starting today, authors, publishers, artists, and cultural promoters will face fewer bureaucratic obstacles to protecting their works, thanks to the entry into force of an agreement by the National Copyright Institute (Indautor), which simplifies and consolidates various procedures.

Among the most significant changes are the elimination of the requirement to submit simple copies for numerous procedures, the merging of procedures that were previously handled separately, and the digitization of applications such as the assignment of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), which can now be submitted exclusively through the institute's website.

The agreement, published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, also updates the requirements and creates new formats for processes such as the annulment or cancellation of copyright reservations, facilitating access to legal tools to resolve disputes regarding titles, stage names, and periodical publications.

The document signed by Karina Luján Luján, Director General of Indautor, establishes that these measures are part of a national policy of regulatory improvement that seeks to reduce administrative burdens for creators and cultural managers.

In addition, a commitment was made to adapt the institute's internal systems within 180 business days.

This reform is expected to bring greater efficiency and transparency to copyright protection, which could particularly benefit independent creators, publishing groups, cultural promoters, and artists across the country.