Audies® Honor Spanish-language Audio Books

Translation of The Da Vinci Code takes prize

By Cynthia Paulino -- Críticas, 6/15/2006

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) recognized excellence in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment at its annual gala this past May at BookExpoAmerica. The Audies® presented its special Judges' Award for Spanish-language titles to Dan Brown’s El Código Da Vinci (The Da Vinci Code), produced by FonoLibro. This marks the first time a Spanish-language audiobook has been honored.

Based in Miami, FonoLibro—part of media conglomerate Venevision International—focuses on the production and distribution of Spanish-language audiobooks. FonoLibro’s catalog is diverse and includes best sellers by J.J. Benitez and John Grisham and literary classics such as Don Quijote and El Conde de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo). “This award—the ‘Oscar’ of the audiobook industry—is a huge acknowledgement for our efforts to serve our [Hispanic] community,” said Arquímedes Rivero, Jr., FonoLibro’s COO.

The Audies® special Judges’ Awards focus on a different category each year. This is the first time it recognized a Spanish-language work. “I hope The Audie® fuels an increase in the distribution and sales of Spanish-language audiobooks,” said Rivero, adding that he also hopes Spanish-language works will be honored annually by the APA.

The Audies® is the only award program for audiobooks in the United States. The finalists for this year’s special Judges’ Awards for Spanish-language titles are:

• Cuando era puertorriqueña (When I Was Puerto Rican), by Esmeralda Santiago (Recorded Books, 2005)
• Don Quijote de la Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Yo Yo Libros, 2004)
• La casa en Mango Street (The House on Mango Street), by Sandra Cisneros (Random House Audio, 2005)
• La vida secreta de las abejas (The Secret Lives of Bees), by Sue Monk Kidd (HighBridge Audio, 2005)