Mallorcan writer Sebastià Alzamora has won the 2026 National Poetry Prize for Sala Augusta seguit de Llengua materna (Sala Augusta Followed by Mother Tongue), a work in which he intertwines memories of the Spanish Civil War in Palma with family memories and recollections of his childhood. The award, presented by the Ministry of Culture, comes with a prize of €30,000.
Sebastià Alzamora at La Setmana del Llibre en Català in 2020. Photo: La Setmana del Llibre en Català
The jury recognised Alzamora’s ability to move “from the impassioned language of historical denunciation to the delicacy of the domestic sphere”. It also highlighted the way in which the author combines collective history and family intimacy in the poetry collection.
National Poetry Prize for a work about memory
Sala Augusta seguit de Llengua materna, published by Editorial Proa, consists of two parts that approach memory from very different perspectives.
In Sala Augusta, a single long, free-verse poem revisits the horrors of the Spanish Civil War through a cinema in central Palma that was used as a prison. According to the jury, Alzamora constructs an account that moves between lyricism and harsh reality, addressing the deaths of innocent people and the need to preserve their memory.
Llengua materna (Mother Tongue), by contrast, shifts the focus to the family sphere. The poet pays tribute to his mother and recalls a modest childhood shaped by women who supported their households through their work in the footwear industry.
For the jury, these two dimensions turn the book into a testimony to memory and the human condition.
Sebastià Alzamora’s career
Born in Llucmajor in 1972, Sebastià Alzamora holds a degree in Catalan Philology from the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB). He first came to prominence in 1994 with the poetry collection Rafel, which won the Salvador Espriu Prize.
His career spans both poetry and fiction. His novels include Sara i Jeremies (Sara and Jeremiah), winner of the 2002 Ciutat de Palma Prize; La pell i la princesa (The Skin and the Princess), winner of the 2005 Josep Pla Prize; Crim de sang (Blood Crime), winner of the 2011 Sant Jordi Prize; La Malcontenta; Reis del món (Kings of the World); Ràbia (Rage), winner of the 2022 Òmnium Prize for Best Novel; and El Federal.
His poetry collections also include La part visible (The Visible Part), which won the Carles Riba Prize, and La netedat (Cleanliness), winner of the Serra d’Or Critics’ Prize.
His work has been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, English, Portuguese, Polish and Danish.
Antònia Vicens, another Mallorcan writer to receive the award
The National Poetry Prize is awarded annually to a work published in Spain, with Miriam Reyes receiving the award in 2025.
Alzamora now joins a list of previous winners that also includes fellow Mallorcan writer Antònia Vicens, as well as poets such as Miren Agur Meabe, Yolanda Castaño, Aurora Luque, Olga Novo, Pilar Pallarés and Chus Pato.
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