Premio Biblioteca Breve


The Premio Biblioteca Breve is a literary award given annually by the publisher Seix Barral to an unpublished novel in the Spanish language. Its prize is €30,000 and publication of the winning work. It is delivered in February, to a work from the preceding year.

History

On 14 June 1958, a jury comprising literary critics Josep Maria Castellet and José María Valverde, and editors , Juan Petit and Carlos Barral, gave the inaugural award in Sitges, Barcelona. As stated by members of the jury, it was intended to encourage young writers and the renewal of Spanish literature.
Due to the death of Juan Petit in January 1964, the exile of José María Valverde to Canada in 1967, and the death of Víctor Seix in October of that year, the jury was joined by, Luis Goytisolo, and Juan García Hortelano for subsequent editions. The bases were also modified: for a few years the award took Petit's name as a tribute. In the same way, the Spanish political situation dictated that, in some editions, eligibility was extended to any Iberian Romance language, although no works in Catalan or Portuguese were awarded.
The 1971 edition's jury comprised Luis Goytisolo, Juan Rulfo,, and Pere Gimferrer, with Guillermo Cabrera Infante joining in 1972. However, in 1973 the award ceased to be given due to numerous internal factors and external factors.
In 1998, Basilio Baltasar, the new literary director of Seix Barral, decided to reconvene the prize, with the aim of recovering the spirit with which it was born, trying to recognize both Spanish and Latin American authors.

First era winners (1958–1972)