Inma Pelegrín Wins Lumen Novel Prize with Rural Thriller 'Fosca'

Spanish writer Inma Pelegrín has been awarded the III Lumen Novel Prize, which includes a 30,000-euro prize and publication across the Spanish-speaking world, for her work 'Fosca', submitted under the pseudonym María Millán. The jury, consisting of writers Ángeles González-Sinde, Elena Medel, and Clara Obligado, along with Lola Larumbe, director of the Rafael Alberti Bookstore (Madrid), and María Fasce, Lumen's literary director, declared the novel the winner by majority.

'Fosca' is a gripping rural thriller about loss, cruelty, and the end of childhood, set in a world where tenderness is scarce and violence is rampant, as highlighted by the publisher. This is the first novel by Inma Pelegrín, a renowned Spanish poet and multiple award winner. 'Fosca' will be available for purchase on September 25.

This third edition received 402 manuscripts from Argentina (79), Colombia (40), Chile (16), Spain (192), the United States (12), Mexico (46), Peru (6), and Uruguay (11).

In the minutes, the jury emphasized: "A boy endowed with a special sensitivity must learn to defend himself in a claustrophobic and hostile environment where tenderness is nevertheless possible. Language is another character in this anti-coming-of-age novel with elements of rural thriller and echoes ranging from Ana María Matute to Jesús Carrasco. A story that is read with the senses and the heart."

Inma Pelegrín (Lorca, 1969) holds degrees in Philosophy and Education Sciences and in Psychology. She is the author of poetry books such as Trapos sucios (2008), Óxido (2008, Gerardo Diego International Poetry Prize), Universo improbable (2009), Cuestión de horas (2012, Juan Ramón Jiménez Hispano-American Poetry Prize), Error de cálculo (2016), Todas direcciones (2020, Antonio Machado International Poetry Prize in Baeza), and La teoría de las cosas (2022, Jaén Poetry Prize). She was awarded the 2020 Pulchrum Poetry Prize. She is part of the poetic association Espartaria, with whom she has participated in the anthologies Diez de diez (poetry) and La ciudad de los escudos (narrative).