The Seventeenth International Conference on Books, Publishing & Libraries

Abstract

Several people seek adventures writing books of different textual genres, namely narrative and poetic ones. Editors often refuse to edit “new talents”, so author-publications are usual or publishers that accept payment for the editing costs are considered. However, it seems that these publishers will not be the most significant ones as not many authors become writers or achieve social recognition for their work in the field of literature. As mechanisms of this recognition, among others, are literary prizes, whose results may provide clues to a better understanding of the literary reality. In this diversified and complex field, the purpose of this work is to look analytically at the books and writers that were awarded literary prizes in Portugal in recent years. For that, a case study of the Grand Prix of Romance and Novel (Portuguese Association of Writers / General Direction of the Book and the Libraries) is carried out. It is a choice for convenience, given that this is considered the greatest literary prize in Portugal. This work analyses topics such as age and gender of the award-winner, publisher, and literary genre of the book, since 1982. It is believed that the results of this study may help gain a better understanding of the preferences of specialized literary juries as well as the particularities of the books and writers of contemporary Portuguese Literature.