Javier Cercas Mena (born 1962 in Ibahernando) is a Spanish writer and professor of

Spanish literature Spanish literature generally refers to literature ( Spanish poetry, prose, and drama) written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the Kingdom of Spain. Its development coincides and frequently intersects wi ...

at the

University of Girona The University of Girona ( ca, Universitat de Girona, UdG (); ;) is located in the city of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Its real origin dates back to its creation in 1446, but it was reestablished as a new university in 1991. As of 2021, it consists ...

, Spain. He was born in Ibahernando, Cáceres, Spain. He is a frequent contributor to the Catalan edition of '' El País'' and the Sunday supplement. He worked for two years at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

in the United States. He is one of a group of well-known Spanish novelists, which includes

Julio Llamazares Julio Llamazares (born March 28, 1955) is a Spanish author born in Vegamián, León Province. Biography Julio Llamazares is a poet, novelist and a prolific essayist and journalist. He focuses on themes such as the history and memory of Spanish ...

, Andrés Trapiello, and Jesus Ferrero, who have published fiction in the vein of "historical memory", focusing on the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

and the

Francoist State Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

. ''Soldiers of Salamis'' (translated by Anne McLean) won the

Independent Foreign Fiction Prize The ''Independent'' Foreign Fiction Prize (1990–2015) was a British literary award. It was inaugurated by British newspaper ''The Independent'' to honour contemporary fiction in translation in the United Kingdom. The award was first launched i ...

in 2004, and McLean's translations of his novels ''The Speed of Light'' and ''Outlaws'' were shortlisted for the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

in 2008 and 2016 respectively. In 2014–15, he was the Weidenfeld Visiting Professor of European Comparative Literature in St Anne's College, Oxford. In 2016 he was awarded the European Book Prize for ''The Imposter''.

Bibliography

* 1987, ''El móvil'' * 1989, ''El inquilino'' (''The Tenant and the Motive'') (English translation, 2005) * 1994, ''La obra literaria de Gonzalo Suárez'' * 1997, ''El vientre de la ballena'' * 1998, ''Una buena temporada'' * 2000, ''Relatos reales'' * 2001, ''Soldados de Salamina'' ('' Soldiers of Salamis'') (English translation by Anne McLean, 2004) * 2005, '' La velocidad de la luz'' (''The Speed of Light'') (English translation by Anne McLean, 2006) * 2009, ''Anatomía de un instante'' ('' The Anatomy of a Moment'') (English translation by Anne McLean, 2011) * 2012, ''Las leyes de la frontera (''published as ''Outlaws) ''(English translation by Anne McLean, 2014) * 2014, ' (''The Impostor'') (English translation by

Frank Wynne Frank Wynne (born 1962) is an Irish literary translator and writer. Born in County Sligo in the west of Ireland, he worked as a comics editor at Fleetway and later at comic magazine '' Deadline''. He worked for a time at AOL before becoming a ...

, 2017) * 2017, ''El monarca de las sombras'' (Literatura Random House, Feb 2017)El País (Spanish) http://cultura.elpais.com/cultura/2016/10/19/actualidad/1476900255_158077.html * 2018, ''The Blind Spot'' (MacLeHose Press) (English translation by Anne McLean, 2018)

References

External links

Berlin Literature Festival Bio

Translation o
El derecho a destruirse
published in El País Semanal on 4-Dec-2005.

Translation o

published in EL PAIS SEMANAL - 29-01-2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cercas, Javier 1962 births Living people People from Tierra de Trujillo Spanish essayists Writers from Extremadura 20th-century Spanish novelists 21st-century Spanish novelists Spanish male novelists Male essayists 20th-century essayists 21st-century essayists 20th-century Spanish male writers 21st-century Spanish male writers University of Girona alumni