Particle.news
Download on the App Store

David Uclés Wins 82nd Premio Nadal for Magical Realist Barcelona Novel

The novel grew from a 2022 Montserrat Roig fellowship in Barcelona.

Overview

  • ‘La ciudad de las luces muertas’ is set in postwar Barcelona and uses a gallery of cultural figures to craft a magical‑realist allegory that engages contemporary political anxieties.
  • The jury praised its lyrical, atemporal prose and its melding of historical personalities into a story they called especially relevant at the start of 2026.
  • The book is scheduled to reach bookstores on February 7.
  • Uclés’s previous novel, ‘La península de las casas vacías’, sold roughly 300,000 copies, reinforcing expectations for strong readership and market interest.
  • At the same ceremony, Francesc Torralba won the 58th Premi Josep Pla for ‘Anatomia de l’esperança’, and Uclés received the Nadal’s €30,000 award after submitting under the pseudonym Oriol Arce.