The novel, submitted under the pseudonym Oriol Arce, will hit bookstores on February 4, published by Destino. The plot focuses on post-war Barcelona being plunged into total darkness, an event accidentally caused by the author Carmen Laforet, winner of the first Nadal Prize in 1944.
“"I am very happy. I first submitted to this award in 2010, and since then, I have done it every year. In 2020 I threw in the towel, but this summer I did it again."
During the long, strange night described in the plot, several historical figures coincide in impossible encounters, such as Ana María Matute chatting with Gaudí or Freddie Mercury with Roberto Bolaño. Uclés described his work as "a crazy love letter to the city" and stated that it would not exist without the inspiration of Mercè Rodoreda, Montserrat Roig, and Carmen Laforet.
“"The word changes the world."
The Josep Pla Prize for Catalan prose was also awarded at the same ceremony, held at the El Palace hotel, going to the philosopher Francesc Torralba. The event was attended by prominent political figures, including the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa; the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun; and the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni.
