Venezuelan writer Alberto Barrera was awarded Spain’s Herralde book prize on Monday for his work, “La Enfermedad” (“The Sickness”).
The jury’ decision for the prize, which carries a cash award of $22,910, was unanimous, Anagrama publishing house said.
Cuba’s Teresa Dovalpage’s “Muerte de un Murciano en La Habana” (“Death of a Murcian in Havana”) was runner-up, Anagrama said on its Web site.
Barrera, born in Caracas in 1960, is a TV scriptwriter and a columnist for El Nacional newspaper. His other books include “Tambien El Corazon Es Un Descuido” (“The Heart Is Also Careless”) and a biography of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, “Hugo Chavez Sin Uniforme. Una Historia Personal” (“Hugo Chavez Without Uniform: A Personal History”), written with Cristina Marcano.