Portuguese writer Gonçalo M. Tavares received the 2026 Formentor Prize for Literature on Sunday 1 November at a ceremony held at the Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor. The award ceremony marked a return to Formentor, the Mallorcan setting where this literary prize was established, recognising the achievements of some of the most distinguished authors in international literature.

2026 Formentor Prize for Literature

Gonçalo M. Tavares with the 2026 Formentor Prize for Literature during the award ceremony in Mallorca. Photo: CAIB.

The prize, awarded last March and worth €50,000, recognises the originality of Tavares’s work, his ability to break with narrative conventions and his distinctive perspective on the contradictions of the human condition. The jury praised the “audacity with which he has constructed a narrative free from the temptations of the obvious“, as well as his ability to address the conflicts, violence and uncertainties of the contemporary world.

The Formentor Prize returns to its origins in Mallorca

The Formentor Prize for Literature has close ties to Mallorca, where it originated during the literary gatherings held in Formentor in the early 1960s. These meetings brought together writers, publishers and intellectuals from different countries and helped establish this corner of the Serra de Tramuntana as an international cultural landmark.

Throughout its history, the prize has honoured figures such as Jorge Luis Borges, Samuel Beckett, Carlos Fuentes and Annie Ernaux. Its return to Formentor in 2026 restores the connection between the award ceremony and the place that gave the prize its name.

This year’s edition marks the first time a Portuguese writer has joined the list of recipients. The jury, comprising Elide Pittarello, Gerald Martin, Sonia Hernández, Pilar del Río and Basilio Baltasar, unanimously agreed to award the prize to Tavares in recognition of a literary career spanning the past 25 years.

Gonçalo M. Tavares, a career shaped by literary experimentation

Gonçalo M. Tavares was born in Luanda, Angola, in 1970 and grew up in Aveiro, Portugal. His academic background spans disciplines including Physics, Sport and Art, and he has also taught epistemology and the theory of science at the University of Lisbon.

He made his literary debut in 2001 with the poetry collection Livro da dança and has since produced an extensive body of work combining novels, poetry and other forms of writing. His best-known works include Jerusalén, Aprender a rezar en la era de la técnica, El barrio and Un viaje a la India.

His writing is characterised by the breaking down of boundaries between genres, the creation of unconventional characters and a constant reflection on human behaviour. In his books, violence, fear, pain and moral contradictions emerge through situations that challenge readers’ expectations.

The Formentor Prize jury particularly valued this ability to give voice to aspects of reality often overlooked by conventional narratives. In its citation, the jury highlighted the author’s body of work for its “powerful personality, dazzling originality and vigorous imagination”.

Translated into more than 50 languages and published in nearly 70 countries, Tavares has received numerous international honours, including the José Saramago Prize in 2005 and France’s Best Foreign Book Award in 2010. The 2026 Formentor Prize for Literature now adds to a career that has established his work among the most acclaimed in contemporary Portuguese literature.