Maruja Torres Takes 2009 Nadal

by Jessica Bermúdez -- Críticas, 1/15/2009 9:00:00 AM

The 65th annual Premio Nadal this year went to Spanish writer and journalist Maruja Torres for Esperadme en el cielo (“Wait for Me in Heaven”), a novel about friendship and “ghosts.” The protagonist dies and meets with two friends in heaven, where they reminisce about Barcelona during the Sixties and their childhood in postwar Spain. The prize, the oldest and most prestigious in Spain, is awarded by Ediciones Destino (Grupo Planeta) to Spanish writers for their unpublished works. It consists of €18,000 (approximately US$26,620) and the publication of the novel by Destino. The award ceremony took place on January 6.

“Esperadme en el cielo is a precious and sad story in which the three writers fly with Peter Pan and have fun with Alice, from Alice in Wonderland,” said Torres. The characters Terenci and Monolo were created in honor of Torres’s real friends and colleagues, Spanish writers Terenci Moix (1942-2003) and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (1939-2003). Torres said it was very difficult to survive the death of two friends who were so generous with their talent.

In 2000, Torres won the Premio Planeta for her novel Mientras Vivimos (“While We Live”).

Rubén Abella (Valladolid, 1967) was this year’s Nadal runner-up for El libro del amor (“The Book About Love”), a story about two divergent characters whose destinies cross in Madrid. El libro del amor was inspired by 17th century Spanish poet Juan Ruiz’s book El libro del buen amor (“The Book of Good Love”); Abella’s novel is adapted to the 21st century.

A tribute to Casavella

The Premio Nadal award ceremony paid tribute to the recently deceased Spanish novelist Francisco Casavella, winner of last year’s prize. The 2008 finalist, Eva Díaz, read a fragment of his winning novel, Lo que sé de vampiros (“What I Know of Vampires”).

Casavella died of a heart attack at the age of 45 on December 17. Lo que sé de vampiros is his last published literacy work.