– The renowned writer Jordi Sierra i Fabra, and Berta Márquez, editorial manager of Children’s and Youth Literature at SM, have presented the award to the young Sara Vaquero Ponz from Zaragoza at her old high school (Salesianos Zaragoza).
– “Its author, at only seventeen years old, has had the ability to write a historical text with high-quality touches of fantasy”, remarks its editor, Alejandra Fernández.
– The award-winning novel has been described by the jury as “brave and unconventional with powerful protagonists, fantastic documentation and a superb ending”.
Zaragoza, June 8, 2023.- SM has presented today in Zaragoza the winning novel of the XVIII Jordi Sierra i Fabra Award for young writers. Sara Vaquero Ponz, a 19-year-old young woman from Zaragoza, received the award from the renowned writer Jordi Sierra i Fabra, and Berta Márquez, editorial manager of SM Children’s and Youth Literature, at her old institute, Salesianos Zaragoza. Imago that arrives Hoy a Librerías has been defined by the jury as a “brave and unconventional novel with powerful protagonists, fantastic documentation and a superb ending”.
Fantastic intrigue in the time of Julius Caesar
Imago, by Sara Vaquero Ponz, the 2023 Jordi Sierra i Fabra Award-winning novel tells an adventure story with fantastic elements set in the Roman Empire. In a world where the destiny of each person is linked to their imago, a picture that reflects his soul, some young people will find themselves involved in the search for a portrait painter and several stolen paintings while the conspiracy against Julius Caesar is hatched in Rome.
Its author, who wrote this work “at only seventeen years old, has had the ability to write a high-quality historical text with touches of fantasy,” remarks its editor, Alejandra Fernández.
The events of the award-winning novel take place during the Ides of March, at the time of the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. “Sara, with singular skill, has given a twist to this period of the Roman Empire, adding fantastic elements that bring freshness and originality. It is thanks to this that once you start reading, you cannot stop. The tension, the mystery, the jealousy, suspicion and even love are some of the themes that we will find between the pages of Imago”, he adds.
An award for the illusion of young authors
The Jordi Sierra i Fabra Award for Young People, convened by the Jordi Sierra i Fabra Foundation and edited by SM, comes of age this year, and “we have to celebrate that it continues to be in top form, receiving writings from young authors from Spain and Latin America”, says Berta Márquez, editorial manager of Children’s and Youth Literature at SM. For Márquez, it is a very special literary award because “it is also an award for enthusiasm, work and the desire to try: as the motto says of this award, which is somewhat of Jordi Sierra i Fabra’s mantra in his career and in his life: Everything is possible, if you want to”. Children and Youth of SM), Elena O’Callaghan (writer), África Vázquez (writer and winner of the Jordi Sierra i Fabra Award 2008), Pep Durán (bookseller, representing the Fundació Jordi Sierra i Fabra) and Arturo Padilla (writer and winner of the I Jordi Sierra i Fabra Award in 2006).
The Children and Youth Literature in SM
SM advocates children’s and youth literature of high literary quality and a playful approach, which encourages a taste for reading and transmits human, social and cultural values that help improve the world around us. In its publications and services, literary quality, training capacity and success among the reading public come together. It offers collections adapted to each age group, for which it selects the best authors and illustrators.
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