King Felipe VI has claimed this Thursday the role of literature in democratic coexistence during the gala of the 75th edition of the Planeta Prize for Novel, held in Barcelona and presided over by the Kings. In an exceptional intervention, the monarch highlighted the "solidity" of the award and its roots among writers and readers, as well as the record participation achieved this year.
Felipe VI has recalled that the prize was created in 1952 by José Manuel Lara with the aim of promoting reading and improving the conditions of writers. Since then, he has pointed out, the contest has accompanied the evolution of Spanish literature and the social transformations of the country, reflected in the works of authors such as Mercedes Salisachs, Juan Marsé, and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán.
The head of State has also recalled a reflection by Ana María Matute, winner of the Planeta Prize in 1954, to highlight the ability of literature to bring readers closer to experiences different from their own. In his opinion, the possibility of understanding other realities and recognizing human plurality constitutes one of the great contributions of literary creation to democratic coexistence.
The King concluded his intervention by congratulating the Planeta Group for its commitment to writers and readers throughout these 75 editions, before proceeding to announce the winner and the finalist of this year.
Full speech of Felipe VI at the Planeta Prize 2026
Below, the provided speech is reproduced, without modifications to its content or wording.
Two years ago we were in Barcelona commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Planeta Group, which has decisively contributed to enriching our cultural landscape and giving international projection to creation in Spanish.
As you will remember, I usually do not take the floor at this awards ceremony, but as two years ago, there is another important anniversary that motivates it. Today we celebrate the 75 editions of the Planeta Prize for Novel, which reflect the solidity of this project and its roots among writers and readers, as confirmed by the record participation of this edition.
When José Manuel Lara created the award, in 1952, he aimed to promote reading in a Spain where it was still necessary to expand access to books and offer writers better conditions to develop their vocation. Since then, the Award has accompanied the evolution of our literature and, through it, the transformation of our country. And this is illustrated by the novels that have deserved this distinction; I would like to bring here the memory of some of them.
We have witnessed how, in the post-war Spain portrayed by Mercedes Salisachs, making one's way could test personal principles; how, in the years of the Transition, Juan Marsé explored the distance between what was lived and the image we construct of our past; and how, in Barcelona at the end of the seventies, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán was able to capture the inequalities that persisted under the promises of prosperity. These novels —part of a legacy that encompasses all the works distinguished with the Award throughout its history— are different perspectives that, together, compose an image of our country: a mirror in which we recognize the path traveled and the changes that have transformed us. In them, we discover how other generations lived, what they expected from their time, and what concerned them; and we find, in their experiences, something of ourselves.
Every October 15 —a date that evokes Teresa, José Manuel Lara's wife— the Planeta Award has accommodated a plurality of voices and perspectives, has recognized established literary trajectories, and has contributed to discovering new authors. Their works have brought readers very different stories, capable of awakening emotions, raising questions, and broadening our view.
This capacity of literature to take us beyond our own experience finds a precise expression in Ana María Matute, winner of the Award in 1954: "he who does not invent, does not live."
The freedom to imagine other lives allows us to recognize ourselves in the experiences of others, to approach realities different from our own, and to discover, in that diversity, both what unites us and what makes us different. In that possibility of knowing ourselves better, of understanding others and recognizing human plurality, lies one of the great contributions of literature to our democratic coexistence.
For all this, the Queen and I want to congratulate Grupo Planeta for these 75 years of commitment to writers and readers, and to all the people who, with their work and dedication, make this Award possible. We look forward with curiosity and excitement to meeting the winner and the finalist of this night.
Congratulations and thank you very much.