Prix Formentor
Encyclopedia
The Prix Formentor was an international literary prize awarded between 1961 and 1967. The Formentor Group offered two prizes, the Prix Formentor (The Formentor Prize) and the Prix International, (the International Prize). The Prix Formentor was given to previously unpublished work and the the Prix International was given to work already in distribution. Pavlovic, Tatjana (2011) The Mobile Nation: Espana Cambia de Piel (1954-1964) Intellect Books p6-64 ISBN 9781841503240
organised, through the publishing house Seix Barral, a series of annual meetings of publishers, novelists and critics. These 'Coloquio Internacional de Novela' ('International Colloquium of the Novel') were held in Formentor on the island of Majorca, Spain between 1959 and 1962, paid for by international publishers. The first meeting happened directly after celebrations for the 'Conversaciones de Poéticas de Formentor' '(The Conversations of the Poets of Formentor') 18-25 May 1959, which were inspired by novelist Camilo José Cela
and brought together a wide variety of multilingual poets.
The first Barral Coloquio (29-28 May 1959), focused on the political issues of the role of the novelist in societal change, specifically the new power of social realism
, polarised by concerns to give primacy to technical form or political commitment.
The second Coloquio (2-5 May 1960) shifted focus towards the role of the publisher as aesthetic pioneer versus commercial entrepreneur. Prominent publishing houses from the US, Italy, the UK, France and Germany, as well as Spain, were present. It was at this Coloquio that the Formentor Group was formally founded. The group operated between 1960-68, dedicated to the dissemination of the contemporary literary avant garde, joined during this time by publishers from an array of nations, including Japan, Denmark and Holland. Santana, Mario (2000) Foreigners in the homeland: the Spanish American new novel in Spain, 1962-1974. Bucknell University Press p50-53 ISBN 9780838754504 It was during this second annual gathering that the participants were tasked with formulating an international prize that would be awarded the following year. "The boom in Barcelona: literary modernism in Spanish and Spanish-American fiction (1950-1974)" by Mayder Dravasa in Volume 130 of Currents in comparative Romance languages and literatures, p73. Publisher: Peter Lang, 2005
ISBN 0820468274,
The group's initial idea was to award a 'Prix International de Editeurs', given to authors not widely known beyond their national bounds. It was to be given to avant garde works already published. The group hoped to take control of the market for Western high brown literature. Co-founder Guilio Einaudi stated that the group, working with all major European publishers, was strategically placed to have a monopoly on "priceless information that would place them in the forefront of all narratives". Combined, they hoped to gain unrivaled access to all literary creation and criticism. Barall intended that the judging would be a symposium for lectures and debates held publicly in the presence of journalists, as it was.
Instead of one prize, as a compromise between literary and commercial goals, two prizes were devised: the Prix International and the Prix Formentor, to be initiated in 1961. The Prix International was judged by a team of literary specialists and writers assessing quality, similar in structure to the judging of the Nobel Prize. The Prix Formentor was decided by publishers, in a secret vote at a closed session. Critics such Santana and Pavlovic point to the clash within the Formentor group and between the two prizes presenting concerns for art versus the market, the cultural versus the economic, Madrid
(a literary/political centre) versus Barcelona
(an economic nexus), leftist priorities versus more centrist financial interests. Dravasa also points to clear divisions between publishers from Latin and Anglosaxon cultures and also between Spain and Latin America whose 'colonialist' literature was held as somewhat parochial.
and Argentinian novelist Jorge Luis Borges
. Max Frisch
(Swiss), Henry Miller
(American) and Alejo Carpentier
(Cuban) had made it to that shortlist. It was the first major recognition of an Argentinian writer and Borges commented "as a consequence of that prize, my books mushroomed overnight, throughout the western world." The other prize, the Prix Formentor, was created for a novel already in print with one of the group's publishers, a work that would commercially benefit from international translation and dissemination in 14 countries. The prize in that first year went to Spanish writer Juan Garcia Hortelano for his novel Tormenta de Verano (Summer Storm). The translations of the book were badly received by European critics and looked to mark the end of the prize. The novel went unnoticed outside Spain.
Franco condemned the awards as intellectual dissidence against his regime and banned a repetition on Spanish territory. The prize giving was moved to Corfu
(1963), Salzburg
(Austria, 1964), Valescure
(Southern Fance, 1965) and Gammarth
(Tunisia, 1966). The Coloquios and the prize giving procedures were complex and expensive, paid for by the publishers. The decisions had become increasingly politicised and factionalised, prompting the publishing houses to lose interest in backing the project. The last prize was given in 1967.
History
The 1950s saw an increasing expansion of the global interest in Hispanic literature. Looking for a way to further open up Spanish literature Markets, Carlos BarralCarlos Barral
Carlos Barral i Agesta was a Spanish poet, considered to be one of the greatest poets of the so-called generation of the 1950s. He helped to establish the Formentor Group and their literary awards the Prix Formentor and the Prix International...
organised, through the publishing house Seix Barral, a series of annual meetings of publishers, novelists and critics. These 'Coloquio Internacional de Novela' ('International Colloquium of the Novel') were held in Formentor on the island of Majorca, Spain between 1959 and 1962, paid for by international publishers. The first meeting happened directly after celebrations for the 'Conversaciones de Poéticas de Formentor' '(The Conversations of the Poets of Formentor') 18-25 May 1959, which were inspired by novelist Camilo José Cela
Camilo José Cela
Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquis of Iria Flavia was a Spanish novelist and short story writer. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Literature "for a rich and intensive prose, which with restrained compassion forms a challenging vision of man's vulnerability".-Biography:Cela published his...
and brought together a wide variety of multilingual poets.
The first Barral Coloquio (29-28 May 1959), focused on the political issues of the role of the novelist in societal change, specifically the new power of social realism
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
, polarised by concerns to give primacy to technical form or political commitment.
The second Coloquio (2-5 May 1960) shifted focus towards the role of the publisher as aesthetic pioneer versus commercial entrepreneur. Prominent publishing houses from the US, Italy, the UK, France and Germany, as well as Spain, were present. It was at this Coloquio that the Formentor Group was formally founded. The group operated between 1960-68, dedicated to the dissemination of the contemporary literary avant garde, joined during this time by publishers from an array of nations, including Japan, Denmark and Holland. Santana, Mario (2000) Foreigners in the homeland: the Spanish American new novel in Spain, 1962-1974. Bucknell University Press p50-53 ISBN 9780838754504 It was during this second annual gathering that the participants were tasked with formulating an international prize that would be awarded the following year. "The boom in Barcelona: literary modernism in Spanish and Spanish-American fiction (1950-1974)" by Mayder Dravasa in Volume 130 of Currents in comparative Romance languages and literatures, p73. Publisher: Peter Lang, 2005
ISBN 0820468274,
The group's initial idea was to award a 'Prix International de Editeurs', given to authors not widely known beyond their national bounds. It was to be given to avant garde works already published. The group hoped to take control of the market for Western high brown literature. Co-founder Guilio Einaudi stated that the group, working with all major European publishers, was strategically placed to have a monopoly on "priceless information that would place them in the forefront of all narratives". Combined, they hoped to gain unrivaled access to all literary creation and criticism. Barall intended that the judging would be a symposium for lectures and debates held publicly in the presence of journalists, as it was.
Instead of one prize, as a compromise between literary and commercial goals, two prizes were devised: the Prix International and the Prix Formentor, to be initiated in 1961. The Prix International was judged by a team of literary specialists and writers assessing quality, similar in structure to the judging of the Nobel Prize. The Prix Formentor was decided by publishers, in a secret vote at a closed session. Critics such Santana and Pavlovic point to the clash within the Formentor group and between the two prizes presenting concerns for art versus the market, the cultural versus the economic, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(a literary/political centre) versus Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
(an economic nexus), leftist priorities versus more centrist financial interests. Dravasa also points to clear divisions between publishers from Latin and Anglosaxon cultures and also between Spain and Latin America whose 'colonialist' literature was held as somewhat parochial.
Awards: 1961-1967
During the third Coloquio in 1961 the two prizes were awarded, in the tense atmosphere of a political summit. The Prix International, for literary prestige, was given jointly to Irish playwright Samuel BeckettSamuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
and Argentinian novelist Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
. Max Frisch
Max Frisch
Max Rudolf Frisch was a Swiss playwright and novelist, regarded as highly representative of German-language literature after World War II. In his creative works Frisch paid particular attention to issues relating to problems of human identity, individuality, responsibility, morality and political...
(Swiss), Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
(American) and Alejo Carpentier
Alejo Carpentier
Alejo Carpentier y Valmont was a Cuban novelist, essayist, and musicologist who greatly influenced Latin American literature during its famous "boom" period. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Carpentier grew up in Havana, Cuba; and despite his European birthplace, Carpentier strongly self-identified...
(Cuban) had made it to that shortlist. It was the first major recognition of an Argentinian writer and Borges commented "as a consequence of that prize, my books mushroomed overnight, throughout the western world." The other prize, the Prix Formentor, was created for a novel already in print with one of the group's publishers, a work that would commercially benefit from international translation and dissemination in 14 countries. The prize in that first year went to Spanish writer Juan Garcia Hortelano for his novel Tormenta de Verano (Summer Storm). The translations of the book were badly received by European critics and looked to mark the end of the prize. The novel went unnoticed outside Spain.
Franco condemned the awards as intellectual dissidence against his regime and banned a repetition on Spanish territory. The prize giving was moved to Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
(1963), Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
(Austria, 1964), Valescure
Saint-Raphaël, Var
Saint-Raphaël is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Immediately to the west of Saint-Raphaël lies another, older, town called Fréjus, and together they form an urban agglomeration known as Fréjus Saint-Raphaël...
(Southern Fance, 1965) and Gammarth
Gammarth
Gammarth is a seaside resort town on the Mediterranean Sea in the Tunis Governorate of Tunisia, located some 15 to 20 kilometres north of Tunis, adjacent to La Marsa. It is an upmarket resort, known for its expensive hotels and shops. Gammarth began as a small fishing village but following...
(Tunisia, 1966). The Coloquios and the prize giving procedures were complex and expensive, paid for by the publishers. The decisions had become increasingly politicised and factionalised, prompting the publishing houses to lose interest in backing the project. The last prize was given in 1967.
Prix Formentor
- 1961: Juan García Hortelano, Tormenta de verano (Summer Storm), Seix Barral. (Spanish)
- 1962: Dacia MarainiDacia MarainiDacia Maraini is an Italian writer. She is the daughter of Sicilian Princess Topazia Alliata di Salaparuta, an artist and art dealer, and of Fosco Maraini, a Florentine ethnologist and mountaineer of mixed Ticinese, English and Polish background who wrote in particular on Tibet and Japan...
, ETA del malessere, (The Age of malaise) Einaudi. (Italian) - 1963: Jorge SemprunJorge SemprúnJorge Semprún Maura was a Spanish writer and politician who lived in France most of his life and wrote primarily in French. From 1953 to 1962, during the era of Francisco Franco, Semprún lived clandestinely in Spain working as an organizer for the exiled Communist Party of Spain, but was expelled...
, Le Grand Voyage, Gallimard (Spanish) - 1964: Gisela ElsnerGisela ElsnerGisela Elsner was a German writer. She won the Prix Formentor in 1964 for her novel Die Riesenzwerge .-Life:...
, Die Riesenzwerge (The Dwarf Giant), Rowohlt (German) - 1965: Stephen Schneck, The Nightclerk, Grove Press, (Gallimard)
- 1966: cancelled
- 1967: unassigned
Prix International
- 1961: Jorge Luis BorgesJorge Luis BorgesJorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
FiccionesFiccionesFicciones is the most popular anthology of short stories by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges, often considered the best introduction to his work. Ficciones should not be confused with Labyrinths, although they have much in common. Labyrinths is a separate translation of Borges' material,...
(Fictions), short stories, Argentinian & Samuel BeckettSamuel BeckettSamuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
(Trilogy), Irish, Novel "Converses de Formentor", conference brochure, 2008 (In Spanish) - 1962: Uwe JohnsonUwe JohnsonUwe Johnson was a German writer, editor, and scholar.- Life :Johnson was born in Kammin in Pomerania . His father was a Swedish-descent peasant from Mecklenburg and his mother was from Pommern...
Mutmassungen über Jakob (Speculations about Jakob), PomeraniaPomeraniaPomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, novel - 1963: Carlo Emilio GaddaCarlo Emilio GaddaCarlo Emilio Gadda was an Italian writer and poet. He belongs to the tradition of the language innovators, writers that played with the somewhat stiff standard pre-war Italian language, and added elements of dialects, technical jargon and wordplay.-Biography:Gadda was a practising engineer from...
La cognizione del dolore (Published in English asAcquainted with grief), Italian, novel - 1964: Nathalie Sarraute Les Fruits d'or (Golden Fruits), French, Novel.
- 1965: Saul Bellow HerzogHerzogHerzog may refer to:* Herzog , German title of nobility* The surname Herzog, derived from the above-Athletes:* Andreas Herzog , Austrian soccer player* Dieter Herzog , German soccer player* Whitey Herzog , U.S...
, Canadian, Novel - 1966: [no prize awarded]
- 1967: Witold GombrowiczWitold GombrowiczWitold Marian Gombrowicz was a Polish novelist and dramatist. His works are characterized by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and an absurd, anti-nationalist flavor...
Kosmos (Cosmos, Polish, novel.
Further reading
- Pavlovic, Tatjana (2011) The Mobile Nation: Espana Cambia de Piel (1954-1964) Intellect Books p6-64 ISBN 9781841503240
- Santana, Mario (2000) Foreigners in the homeland: the Spanish American new novel in Spain, 1962-1974. Bucknell University Press p50-53 ISBN 9780838754504
- Volume 18, numéro 1, 1er semestre 2005, p. 127-155 "Traductions et représentations : Parcours dans l’espace hispanique II / Translations and Representations: Exploring the Hispanic World II". Association Canadienne de Traductologie ISSN 0835-8443 (imprimé) 1708-2188 (numérique) (In French)
- "Converses de Formentor", conference brochure, 2008 (In Spanish)