Record participation in the Clarín Novel Prize: 1,284 manuscripts received

Only once in the 28 editions of the Clarín Novela Prize have more manuscripts been received than this year: it was in 2005, exactly two decades ago , when the jury composed of Nobel Prize winner for Literature José Saramago, the Spaniard Rosa Montero, and the Argentine Eduardo Belgrano Rawson chose Las viudas de los jueves by Claudia Piñeiro . There were 1,367 candidates in the running at that time. Today there are 1,284 , with their fiction submissions from Spain, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, in addition to those living in Argentina. A true record.

Without a doubt, the Honorary Jury is a magnet for anyone dedicated to literature, as it is composed of Spaniard Javier Cercas, Argentine Mariana Enriquez, and Chilean Alberto Fuguet.

During his recent visit to Buenos Aires, where he was one of the most popular international figures at the Book Fair, Cercas joined the honorary jury of the Spanish-language competition that offers the country's most important award . The author of El loco de dios en el fin del mundo (The Madman of God at the End of the World) – his recent non-fiction novel, inspired by his trip to Mongolia with Pope Francis –, well known for Soldados de Salamina (Soldiers of Salamis), among other books, thus joins the tradition of Iberian juries who participated in previous editions of the Clarín Prize, such as José Saramago, Rosa Montero, Juan Cruz Ruiz, Almudena Grandes and Juan José Millás.

Cercas will be in charge of choosing this year's winning novel, along with Mariana Enríquez , the Argentine writer who revamped the horror genre in a contemporary way – Our Share of the Night, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, The Things We Lost in the Fire – and Chilean Alberto Fuguet , a literary star of pop and genre hybridization – Certain Boys, Non-Fiction, Sweat –, who were already judges last year when, along with Samantha Schweblin, they declared Roberto Chuit Roganovich the winner with his novel If You Felt the Major Structures Under Your Feet.

If the jury is a magnet, the prize is also seductive . In this 28th edition, sponsored by the City of Buenos Aires , the winner will receive 10 million pesos in addition to publication under the Clarín-Alfaguara label.

Another relevant aspect is the continuity of the competition, the national and international exposure it offers to the selected novels, and the platform it has provided for the literary careers of many of its winners. This explains why 1,284 of them decided to submit their novels this year.

In addition to the all-time record of 2005, another memorable year was 2020. The pandemic, lockdown, and available time encouraged many to work on their writing. That year, 1,047 books arrived , including Asomados a un pozo (Asomados a un pozo) by Ignacio Arabehety, selected by the jury formed by Liliana Heker, Martín Kohan, and Clara Obligado . Now, five years later and without any lockdown, there are more titles to analyze.

The rigorous selection process for the Clarín Novela Prize involves several stages of reading: the first is conducted by the pre-selection committee, which culminates in the creation of the shortlist of finalists; this is usually announced during the month of September.

Once the shortlist is announced, the task will be passed to the Honorary Jury. Javier Cercas, Alberto Fuguet, and Mariana Enríquez will receive the originals of the finalist novels in September to begin a period of reading and exchange, a long-distance duel between colleagues whose poetics and literary worlds seem very different. They will then become part of a group that has previously included Adolfo Bioy Casares, Augusto Roa Bastos, Antonio Skármeta, Andrés Rivera, Ángeles Mastretta, Leonardo Padura, Guadalupe Nettel, Claudia Piñeiro, and Silvia Iparraguirre, to name just a few.

Residing in different parts of the world, the three juries will meet in Buenos Aires in early November for the final debate that will result in the winning novel.

In the 27 editions of the Clarín Novela Prize, it has been proven that both established and unknown authors can become winners . Among those who already had a career at the time of receiving the award are Ángela Pradelli, Federico Jeanmaire, Gustavo Nielsen, Carlos Bernatek, Miguel Gaya, and Luciano Lamberti , among others.

Among those who were just beginning their careers or were lesser-known at the time of their wins are Pedro Mairal, Claudia Piñeiro, Agustina Bazterrica, Patricia Suárez, Betina González, Raquel Robles, Agustina Caride, and Fabián Martínez Siccardi . All of them continued writing and publishing; in some cases, the winning novels found thousands of readers in Argentina and abroad, as was the case with Claudia Piñeiro's Las viudas de los jueves (Widowers of Thursdays) and Agustina Bazterrica's Cadaver intenso (Exquisite Corpse ).

These previous careers are exciting for this year's contenders . Expectations are growing, and the novels submitted in recent days, fueled by the imagination of their authors and the feverish tapping of keyboards, have a real chance of being published, of being critically read, evaluated, and reaching the final round of awards. Only one will win, but the effort is well worth it. 1,284 people believe so.