Cuban Writer Leonardo Padura Wins Líber Award

Cuban writer Leonardo Padura was honored today with the Líber Award by the Federation of Publishers' Guilds of Spain (FGEE), in recognition of his standing as the most distinguished Hispanic American author. The distinction will be presented to Padura on September 30 at the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), during the Barcelona International Book Fair (Liber 2026).

According to a statement from the FGEE, the jury highlighted Padura's "ability to tell stories that, starting from investigation, delve into truth, guilt, friendship, and the weight of history on individual lives." They also valued his internationally acclaimed career and the richness of registers and genres that characterize his work.

The Cuban author, born in 1955, previously achieved one of the highest recognitions in the Ibero-American sphere with the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature in 2015, with his body of work published by Tusquets. Among his books, standouts include La novela de mi vida, Herejes, Regreso a Ítaca, Como polvo en el viento, Morir en la arena, and the highly acclaimed El hombre que amaba a los perros, which reconstructs the story of Leon Trotsky through the narrative of Ramón Mercader. Generally, the center of his plots is linked to the detective novels featuring Inspector Mario Conde.

According to the FGEE note, Padura, upon learning of the Líber 2026 distinction, praised the federation's work in "giving visibility" to the work of writers and valued the significance of becoming the first Cuban author to receive it. "It represents recognition not only for me personally, but also for the culture to which I belong and in which I remain," he said. Padura also counts among his accolades the Café Gijón Prize, the Dashiell Hammett Prize, the Barcino Historical Novel Prize, and the 2023 Pepe Carvalho Award.