He was born in Ibahernando (Caceres) in 1962. At the age of four he moved with his family to Girona, which became his adopted city. He has a PhD in Hispanic Philology, and was professor at the University of Girona between 1989 and 2005. His first work of literature was the book of short stories “The Motive”, published in 1987. His third novel, “Soldiers of Salamis” established him with the critics and public. The novel has received numerous Spanish and international awards and was made into a film by David Trueba. He is a regular contributor to the newspaper "El País" and has compiled his articles into a book "Una buena temporada". In 2009 he published “Anatomy of a Moment”. The novel is a chronicle of the coup attempt on 23 February 1981, and won the National Narrative Literature Award.
Awards
Llibreter Fiction Award for the best book of the year (2001)
Ciutat de Barcelona Award for Literature in Spanish (2001)
Extremadura Prize for the Best Literary Work by an Author from Extremadura (2002)
Ciudad de Cartagena Historical Novel Prize (2002)
Grinzane Cavour International Literature Prize (2003)
Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (2004)
Extremadura Medal (2005)
National Narrative Literature Award (2010)
Flaiano International Literature Prize (2020)
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The Anatomy of a Moment
A work by Javier Cercas, halfway between novel and essay, which revisits the attempted coup of 23 February –known in Spain as 23-F– and the role of the main political figures of the time.
More info
Other highlighted works
- The Speed of Light
- The Belly of the Whale
- Soldiers of Salamis
- The Tenant
- Outlaws
