The author of a hundred titles is recognized for his "relentless recreation of the narrative drive and the versatility of his endless story."

The Argentine César Aira (Buenos Aires, 72 years old) is an author who amply accepts the adjective “rare”. To his stylistic singularities and his literary independence are added eccentrcities of everyday life that confirm the integrity of his character. Aira lives isolated in Buenos Aires, a contradiction, since it is one of the busiest cities in the planet.  He does not have a telephone, just an email that he checks every so often so as not to cut himself off from the world altogether. That is why the author was one of the last to find out he was awarded the 2021 Formentor Prize, which is endowed with 50,000 Euros.

The ruling was made public this Monday at noon (local time) in Spain, in a ceremony held in Seville, with seven time zones and a hemisphere away. "Argentina is still sleeping, let's hope that when Aira wakes up he will see the news that we are sending to his mailbox right now," said the president of the jury, Basilio Baltasar.

Read more: El País - Cultura