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Eduardo Mendoza Garriga

エドゥアルド・メンドーサ・ガリーガ

Eduardo Mendoza Garriga

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1943-01-11 （Barcelona, Spain）
Nationality
Spanish
Languages
Spanish
Residence History
Barcelona (birth / early life) → New York City (1973–1982, UN interpreter) → London (resident)

Career

Occupations
novelist, playwright, essayist, interpreter
Active Years
1975-2025
Influenced By
Juan Benet, Juan García Hortelano, Pere Gimferrer, Félix de Azúa

Education

University of Barcelona
Faculty of Law / Law
Degree: Law degree
Period: 1960s
Country: Spain

Awards

Critics Prize
1976
Work: The Truth about the Savolta Case
Result: 受賞
Premio Planeta de Novela
2010
Work: An Englishman in Madrid
Organization: Planeta Publishing Group
Result: 受賞
European Book Prize
2013
Work: An Englishman in Madrid
Category: fiction
Organization: European Book Prize (European institutions)
Result: 受賞
Franz Kafka Prize
2015
Organization: Franz Kafka Society
Result: 受賞
Miguel de Cervantes Prize
2016
Organization: Spanish cultural institutions
Result: 受賞
Premio Cultura (Premios Vanguardia)
2024
Organization: La Vanguardia (Premios Vanguardia)
Result: 受賞
Princess of Asturias Award (Literature)
2025
Category: 文学
Organization: Princess of Asturias Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Truth about the Savolta Case

1975 social novel / historical novel

A debut novel reflecting Spain's transition, portraying labor struggles and social conditions in early 20th-century Barcelona.

social changelabor movementsmodernization
Translations
  • English translation available

The City of Marvels

1986 historical novel / urban fiction

A major novel about Barcelona's urban and social evolution between the 1888 and 1929 World's Fairs; one of his most acclaimed works and adapted for film.

urban changemodernization and memoryclass and ambition
Adaptations
  • [film] The City of Marvels (film) / Mario Camus (1999)
Translations
  • English translation available

The Olive Labyrinth

1982 humor / detective parody

A key work in the 'mad detective' series: a humorous parody mixing hard-boiled and Gothic elements.

parodydeconstruction of detective genrehumor
Translations
  • English translation available

An Englishman in Madrid

2010 historical novel

A 2010 novel set in Madrid in 1936; winner of the Premio Planeta, portraying the turmoil and human stories on the eve of the Civil War.

pre-war tensionsindividuals and historyurban tension
Translations
  • English translation available (An Englishman in Madrid)

Bibliography

  • The Truth about the Savolta Case (1975)
  • The Mystery of the Enchanted Crypt (1979)
  • The Olive Labyrinth (1982)
  • The City of Marvels (1986)
  • No Word from Gurb (1990)
  • An Englishman in Madrid (2010)
  • The Secret of the Missing Model (2015)
  • The King Receives (2018)

Adaptations

  • Film adaptation of The City of Marvels (dir. Mario Camus, 1999)

Translations of Works

  • Riña de gatos → An Englishman in Madrid (English translation)
  • La ciudad de los prodigios → The City of Marvels (English translation)
  • El laberinto de las aceitunas → The Olive Labyrinth (English translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
postmodern techniqueshumorous and satirical prosegenre-mixing (history, social novel, parody)
Recurring Motifs
transformation of cities (especially Barcelona)treatment of history and memorysatirical detective figures / motifs of madness

Legacy

Eduardo Mendoza is one of the leading contemporary Spanish writers, acclaimed for a wide range from major social/historical novels to parody. He has received major national and international honors (Cervantes Prize, Franz Kafka Prize, Premio Planeta, Princess of Asturias Award, etc.).

Trivia

  • Worked as an interpreter at the United Nations in New York from 1973 to 1982.
  • One of the first Spanish writers to win the Franz Kafka Prize in 2015.
  • Winner of the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 2016.