<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - Awards]]> 10 <![CDATA[The million]]> The endowment of a new literary prize in the Spanish state has caused some controversy. In theory, according to the rules, the books that can be awarded one million euros by Aena have been published the previous year in one of the official languages of the State, although, now that we know who the five finalists were (all will receive 30,000 euros, except the winner, Samanta Schweblin, who will take the million) they are in Spanish. Catalan authors could opt for it, provided that the work has a Spanish translation, since it seems that juries do not necessarily have to know how to read in Catalan, Basque or Galician. I don't know what happens with works written in other official languages that are published in Spanish but not in the same year as their original publication: we can assume that they are no longer eligible for prizes. This enormously hinders any author in Catalan, for example, from ever being able to aspire to this award, even being a finalist is already a pipe dream. In this first call, which could be programmatic, all the books have been in Spanish. When an author wins the Planeta prize, now endowed with a million, they don't really win any prize: they receive an advance on sales, so that if the book sold more than a million copies, money would still have to be added (which I don't think has ever happened…). The Planeta is for an unpublished work, for a typescript that authors submit to the award; but not this new Aena prize, which recognizes a work that is already published, and which, as we can see, has a more literary profile, or more of a personal and 'risky' literature, beyond formulaic novels or more or less successful successful strategies that sell well and tend to feed the publishing business. But the endowment of this prize –so large– is raising a certain controversy, for its nouveau riche character, for the brutal ostentation of power (the company Aena is half public) and for the imbalance, I would like to add, with the finalists, or with what has been done –ignoring them– with other books published in also official languages. It is very likely that none of the current finalists will ever sniff such a sum of money again (not even by winning the Nobel, as Vila-Matas, another finalist, is said to be able to do). Such an award can put an end to a writer's literary career, needless to say: it can professionalize them, if that is what they desire, but it will also draw a spotlight on their work that can be counterproductive, or even unnecessary. Because one thing is to make a living selling books to readers who appreciate you, and another is to be able to retire because an institution – an airport one – has chosen you more for the benefit of its cultural prestige than for yours. And all in a week in which we have learned that a lot of Catalan publishing houses see their survival in danger because it turns out they don't have I don't know what seal that certifies the environmentalism of the paper they print with… And when newspapers publish less serious literary criticism than ever in their history, criticism that should arbitrate taste much better and much sooner than the juries of writers who judge other writers (who will judge them in the future).  

]]> <![CDATA[Memory of Mallorca asks for help to pay for the judicial process of the Feixina monument]]>

The Memory of Mallorca Association has been working for years to demolish the Francoist monument of Feixina that honors those "fallen" on the cruiser BalearicsThe organization has exhausted all legal avenues in its fight, and in October 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of protecting the monolith and ordered the organization to pay €3,223.71 to cover legal costs. The Association must pay this amount soon but lacks the necessary funds. Therefore, it is appealing for help and has launched a fundraising campaign to solicit voluntary contributions and raise the money it owes. The organization expressed in a statement its "profound disagreement with the judicial protection of a fascist monument inaugurated by the dictator Franco, which continues to occupy a public and democratic space." The president of Memoria de Mallorca, Maria Antònia Oliver, stated that "it is a disgrace that a democratic society condemns an organization for trying to keep a space free of Francoist symbols."

]]> <![CDATA[Cort presents the City of Palma 2025 awards, almost a month later]]>

The City Hall's plenary hall hosted the official ceremony for the 2025 Ciutat de Palma Awards this Thursday, recognizing works in visual arts, narrative, poetry, comics, music, performing arts, audiovisuals, journalism, gastronomy, research, and architecture. The ceremony replaced the gala scheduled for January 20th at the Teatre Principal, which was cancelled following the Adamuz train accident. The event was presided over by the mayor, Jaime Martínez, and was also attended by institutional representatives, members of the cultural sector, award winners, and jury members. After the speeches and the presentation of awards, the group moved to the Casal Solleric to inaugurate the exhibition of the finalists for the Antoni Gelabert Prize and the exhibition. Chapter, by Andrea Canepa.

]]> <![CDATA[The PSIB suspects there may be "interests" in the allocation of tourist places by the Consell de Mallorca.]]>

The computer system that the Council uses to award the 1,570 tourist places that went on sale this September continues to fail. After canceling calls for applications due to computer errors on the platform, the PSIB suspects that "there may be interested people who cannot access the system," said the Socialist spokesperson for the island institution, Catalina Cladera.

]]> <![CDATA[Puig Drinks, Ecomercat Ciutadella, Manacor Hospital and AV Puig de Sant Pere, Rezero Balearic Awards 2025]]>

This Thursday, July 3rd, coinciding with International Day Without Plastic Bags, Rezero celebrated its 20th anniversary with an open and participatory evening in the courtyard of the Museum of Mallorca. The event brought together around 100 people and also served as the venue for the 5th Rezero Balearic Awards, which recognize leading projects in waste reduction and the promotion of reuse, conscious consumption, and the circular economy in the Balearic Islands.

]]>