The bestselling Segovian poet takes the annual prize, valued at €30,000, with her debut in fiction, Days Without You ['Días sin ti'].

“Two narrative voices in two different time periods intertwine to create a coming-of-age novel about love and loss,” states Rosa Montero, one of the members of the jury. Despite the distance between them, their life experiences are similar, and resonate with each other. That’s what Days[BK1]  Without You ['Días sin ti'] is about, the first novel by young poet Elvira Sastre (Segovia, 1992) and winner of the 61st annual Biblioteca Breve Prize. It is a risky and encouraging choice for a historically traditional award, which was initially created to discover new voices, but which for decades has chosen more conventional novels. This venture into the narrative form for the Segovian poet continues her reputation as a literary whiz popular among younger readers, especially since the publication of her second poetry book, Bastion [Baluarte] in 2015. It was among the best-selling poetry books not just in Spain, but also Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, as well as being translated and published in the US.

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