The Cuban writer is one of the leading voices in contemporary Spanish-language literature
Leonardo Padura Receives Liber 2026 Award for the Most Outstanding Latin American Author
The Spanish Publishers’ Association (Federación de Gremios de Editores de España, FGEE) has awarded the Liber 2026 Prize for the Most Outstanding Latin American Author to Cuban writer Leonardo Padura, one of the foremost voices in contemporary Spanish-language literature. The jury praised his ability to craft stories that, grounded in investigation and inquiry, explore truth, guilt, friendship, and the weight of history on individual lives. It also recognised the international reach of his career and the richness of styles and genres that characterise his work.
Born in Havana in 1955, Padura is a leading figure in contemporary Hispanic literature. Winner of Spain’s Princess of Asturias Award for Literature in 2015, he is best known for his celebrated crime-fiction series featuring Mario Conde, a melancholy yet clear-sighted detective through whom the novelist portrays everyday life, contradictions, and social change in Cuba.
Alongside this series, Padura has built a body of work of remarkable literary and historical ambition. Among his best-known works are La novela de mi vida (The Novel of My Life), Herejes (Heretics), Regreso a Ítaca (Return to Ithaca), Como polvo en el viento (Like Dust in the Wind), and his most recent novel, Morir en la arena (Dying in the Sand). Particularly significant is El hombre que amaba a los perros (The Man Who Loved Dogs), now widely regarded as a contemporary classic, in which he reconstructs the intertwined histories of Leon Trotsky, Ramón Mercader, and the political and ideological wounds of the twentieth century.
His work also includes the short-story collection Aquello estaba deseando ocurrir (Waiting for It to Happen) and a distinguished body of essays, including Agua por todas partes (Water Everywhere), Los rostros de la salsa (The Faces of Salsa), and Ir a La Habana (Going to Havana), a personal, cultural and literary journey through the city that lies at the heart of much of his creative universe.
Through his writing, Leonardo Padura has transformed Cuban reality into literature with global resonance. Marked by social criticism and a profound engagement with Cuba’s recent history, his work offers a nuanced reflection on memory, utopias and the disillusionments of successive generations.
Over the course of his career, Padura has received numerous distinctions, including the Café Gijón Prize, the Dashiell Hammett Award, the Islas 2000 Prize, the Brigada 21 Prize, the Barcino Historical Novel Prize, and the Pepe Carvalho Award in 2023. His books have been translated into multiple languages, establishing him as one of the most widely read and internationally recognised voices in contemporary Latin American literature.
Author’s Reaction to the Award
Upon learning that he had been selected for the Liber 2026 Prize, Padura expressed his gratitude: “I received the news that I had been chosen for this recognition with enormous satisfaction and pride. I am especially grateful to the Spanish Publishers’ Association for selecting my work for this year’s distinction, and I extend my thanks both as an author and as a Cuban writer who lives and writes in Cuba.”
Padura also emphasised the significance of both the award and the institution behind it: “This is not just any award, nor is it bestowed by just any institution. It is granted by an organisation that performs the essential task of giving visibility to our work as writers and helping it complete its vital cycle: first by existing, and then by reaching readers.”
He further highlighted the importance of becoming the first Cuban writer to receive the honour: “It is a source of double satisfaction, because it recognises not only me personally, but also the culture to which I belong and within which I continue to live and work.”
The Liber 2026 Prize will be presented to Leonardo Padura on 30 September at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona, as part of Liber 2026, Spain’s International Book Fair.
During the same ceremony, the Liber 2026 Reading Promotion Award for Public Libraries will be presented to the Regional Library of Murcia; the Reading Promotion Award in the Media will go to the cultural supplement ABC Cultural; and the Best Audiovisual Adaptation of a Literary Work Award will be presented to the television series Anatomía de un Instante (Anatomy of an Instant). The Boixareu Ginesta Bookseller of the Year Award will be awarded to Casa Anita Bookshop in Barcelona. The event will also feature the traditional Liber Tribute, recognising an outstanding figure from the publishing world, whose identity will be announced shortly.
About Liber
Widely regarded as one of the leading international events for the export, promotion and showcase of Spanish-language publishing, Liber will take place from 29 September to 1 October 2026 at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue. The fair will bring together more than 250 publishers and companies, presenting their catalogues, latest releases and services related to the marketing and distribution of books.
Liber also features an extensive programme of professional conferences and industry events, providing a forum for discussion and reflection on the key issues shaping the book value chain.
Liber 2026 is organised by Fira de Barcelona and promoted by the Spanish Publishers’ Association (FGEE). It is sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Culture, ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, CEDRO, the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) and Barcelona City Council, with the collaboration of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), the Catalan Publishers’ Guild (Gremi d’Editors de Catalunya) and the Association of Catalan-Language Publishers (Associació d’Editors en Llengua Catalana).
Madrid, 27 August 2026
Leonardo Padura image gallery available here
Gerardo Miguel / Sonsoles Martín
FGEE Press Office
Tel. +34 91 576 52 50
[email protected]
Maria Dolores Herranz
Fira de Barcelona Press Office – Liber 2026
Tel. +34 93 233 25 41 / 21 72
[email protected]