FICTION: Emma Cros, by Manuel Brugarolas
Writer Albert Cendra mysteriously disappears in Cadaqués after sending the manuscript of his latest novel, Emma Cro, to his ex-partner, Vera and his friend and editor, Andreu Ros. Two weeks later, his body is found at the bottom of the sea near Cap de Creus. Suffering from terminal cancer, Cendra had abandoned conventional medicine and isolated himself to write a novel as a way to reconcile with the past and imagine a different future.
The novel Emma Cros blends fiction and reality, turning the author, Vera, and Andreu into characters in the story.
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2025 PARE COLOM LITERARY AWARDS
Manuel Brugarolas (Barcelona, 1946) is a writer and playwright. He has published novels, short stories, fables, and children’s literature, and has received several awards in both theatre and fiction. His works include El crit, Safari, Banquet caníbal, L’any del te, and Els conills savis. In theatre, he has won the Badalona Theatre Prize (Les altres troianes), the Àngels Poch Prize (El retorn), and the Pare Colom Theatre Prize (Els gossos), and was a finalist for the Born Prize (La biblioteca). In 2021, he won the Mallorca Fiction Prize with El club de l’àngel. He regularly contributes to the magazine Sol Ixent in Cadaqués, writing about art and literature.
THEATER: Mosques, by Pau Coya
Mosques is a theatrical monologue diving into the life of Narcís, a young man who hides his insecurities through mythomania. Struggling with a past eating disorder and a deep need for external validation, he constructs a web of lies to escape a life he despises. Returning to his hometown of Girona for Christmas, Narcís faces his inner demons—his “flies”—on a tragicomic journey toward authenticity, self-love, and the desire to be loved unconditionally.
Pau Coya (Palma, 1990) holds a degree in Teaching and a Master’s in Theatre Studies. His work often explores LGBTQ+ themes and realities. Notable plays include Pols de diamant, Cavallet de mar o el peix invisible, and El nom volgut. He has won multiple awards, including the Valencian Writers’ Critics Prize and the Catalan Performing Arts Critics’ Revelation Prize.
POETRY: Mai no ho podràs saber, by Bartomeu Crespí
This collection explores the limits of human knowledge and consciousness. It pays tribute to all that is hidden and beats in places forever unreachable to the human experience.
Bartomeu Crespí (Pòrtol, 1994) holds degrees in Philosophy and Catalan Language and Literature. He teaches secondary school and began writing poetry through a school program called Poet of the Month. Influenced by poets such as Andreu Vidal, Carles Rebassa, José Ángel Valente, and Rafael Cadenas, he views poetic language as a tool to break through the ineffable and attempt to describe what cannot be seen clearly.
ESSAY: Cavalcar l’abisme. La cultura de la droga a les Illes Balears, by Tomeu Canyelles
This essay presents the first historical and cultural analysis of drug use in the Balearic Islands, examining its social, economic, and health-related impacts. It addresses the documentary silence and lack of prior research and, using the 40th anniversary of the National Drug Plan as a framework, explores various periods and figures—from witches to tourists, farmers to traffickers—to offer a critical reflection on a deeply rooted, often invisible, and stigmatised reality.
Tomeu Canyelles Canyelles (Pòrtol, 1984) holds a PhD in History from the University of the Balearic Islands (Extraordinary Award) and a Master’s in Audiovisual Communication. He is currently literary director at Nova Editorial Moll and a lecturer at CESAG. His research focuses on the cultural impacts of tourism, as well as music, sexuality, marginality, and counterculture in the Balearic Islands. He won the Palma City Research Prize (2019) and is the screenwriter of the documentary Jo, punk (2023) and the upcoming series Balears sota la creu gammada. He regularly contributes to media and cultural research projects.