Pilar Lozano (Benavente, Zamora, 1953), with ¡No es tan fácil ser niño! (Being a kid’s not so easy!), and Juan Madrid (Málaga, 1947), with Huida al Sur (Flight to the south), are the winners of the XVI edition of the young adult and children’s literature Awards respectively. If for Pilar Lozano this represents her consolidation in the field of literature for the youngest readers, for Juan Madrid it is further recognition of his literary trajectory.

Two contemporary stories connected with the vibrant world of the youngest members of our society. A globalised world where, although violence and egoism may be present, so too are solidarity and friendship. These are stories that are based on this really true-to-life environment.

Perhaps knowing about other people’s problems and laughing at oneself might be a good medicine for our ills. The main character in ¡No es tan fácil ser niño!, Fernando, is nicknamed “big ears”. His ears are a bit bigger than his classmates’ and he’s made the class joker’s scapegoat. It won’t be an easy one to get out of. A bit of ingenuity and humour will see him through.

On the other hand, immigration, mafias, robberies, speculation and protest are the strings from which characters of Juan Madrid’s novel, Huida al Sur hang. A puzzle that the reader will manage to piece together perfectly with emotion and intrigue. A dark chronicle, with all the colours of the land where the author is from, Málaga and Salobreña, and all of the nuances of its people.

Year after year, the reputation of the Edebé Award, now in its sixteenth edition, has consolidated its position. The Edebé Award has become a point of reference among authors, both due to the quality of the work and for the prestige of the writers awarded in previous editions. The list of writers starts with Carlos Ruiz Zafón and Gabriel Janer Manila, followed by significant names in world of Spanish literature such as Jordi Sierra i Fabra, César Mallorquí, Agustín Fernández Paz, Andreu Martín, Elia Barceló and Fina Casalderrey.

Participating in the XVI edition of the awards, with total prize money of 55,000 euros (30,000 euros for the young adult literature prize and 25,000 euros for the children’s literature prize), the best paid in these genres, were a total of 198 original titles, 84 in the young adult and 114 in the children’s category. Of these works, 50 are in Catalan, 140 in Spanish, 4 in Euskera and 4 in Galician. There has been a marked increase in originals coming from Latin America, principally from Argentina, Peru, Chile, Guatemala and Mexico.

The two winning works will be edited in the four official languages of the State: Catalan, Spanish, Euskera and Galician and, thanks to an agreement with the ONCE, even in Braille. The novels will be in bookstores as of the month of March.
Winners of the previous edition were Rodrigo Muñoz Avia, with Los perfectos (The perfects), and Elia Barceló, with Cordeluna.