Mozambican writer Mia Couto, one of the most important contemporary authors writing in Portuguese, will receive the prestigious 2024 FIL Literature Prize at the opening of the annual Guadalajara International Book Fair on November 30.
Born in Beira, Mozambique in 1955, Couto’s work spans various genres, including novels, short stories, poetry and essays. He is celebrated for his unique narrative style, which blends elements of magical realism, African oral traditions and poetic language. His writing often explores themes related to Mozambique’s colonial past, its struggle for independence, the civil war, and the country’s complex social and cultural dynamics.
Couto is the fifth Portuguese-speaking author to receive the FIL Prize, following Nélida Piñón (1995), Rubem Fonseca (2003), António Lobo Antunes (2008), and Lídia Jorge (2020). The prize, worth US$150,000, is awarded to a writer whose literary work in any of the Romance languages (such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, or Catalan) has significantly impacted the literary landscape. This year’s jury selected Couto from 49 authors nominated from 20 countries.
Spain will be the guest of honor at the 38th edition of the FIL, to be held at Expo Guadalajara from November 30 to December 8.