Mínguez has been awarded for her work 'La educación del monstruo', available for sale since April 15. The award, endowed with 100,000 euros, is organized by the publisher Espasa and Ámbito Cultural of El Corte Inglés. This edition has broken participation records, with 1,590 original works from 38 countries.
“"The monster is in each one of us. The human being can become an aberration. A monster or several inhabit everyone, and we have to learn to face it to know how to manage it."
The award winner recounted that the starting point of the work is an «involuntary memory». She added that she was interested in showing that these monsters are still present today, and that we often manipulate through fear, wanting to retain children based on that fear. According to the author, parents, unintentionally, often become monsters and are creating small monsters, as fear brings out the monsters in characters.
Furthermore, she expressed her gratitude for being recognized with this award. «For me, an award means responsibility, with oneself and with the reader», she acknowledged. The Primavera Award was established in 1997 and has since honored authors such as Rosa Montero (its first winner), Máximo Huerta, and Luis García-Rey, among others.
Asked about the fact that the three stories around which the novel revolves «seem like three short novels» —set in the present, Germany in the 1960s, and Valladolid in the 1970s—, Mínguez specified that she wrote «the three parts independently» which she then fitted together «like a puzzle». She recalled that, as an actress, her mind is visual and she has been working in audiovisuals for 30 years, acknowledging that the work has «rough and hard moments» but that she did not want to be incisive.
Regarding the three female characters in the novel (Águeda, Olvido, and Matilde), Mínguez noted that they approach current reality, such as when an attempt is made to report a situation of abuse. «Women, whatever we do, are always in the spotlight», she denounced. She also highlighted the importance of documentation and admitted that she loves reading crime novels, «especially in summer».
At the inauguration, the mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, thanked the organization «for focusing on Valencia» and emphasized that this «special edition» celebrates its 30th anniversary coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the declaration of the Lonja de la Seda as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. She highlighted that this enclave is known for being an «exchange of cultures, ideas, and thought» and congratulated the author on the award, whose work was chosen from among 1,500 manuscripts submitted.
The event also featured the director of Ámbito Cultural El Corte Inglés, Gervasio Posadas, who described the company as «partners and accomplices with Espasa», in addition to contributing their bit by fostering reading and introducing new authors, with more than 20,000 manuscripts participating since the award's inception. Also present was the editorial director of Espasa, David Cebrián, who focused on the importance of «discovering and nurturing talent».
