These are the 10 finalists for the Òmnium prize for best novel of the year

BarcelonaThe selection committee for the Òmnium Prize for best novel of the year has chosen the 10 shortlisted works for the ninth edition of the award. The winner will not be announced until... The Night of Catalan Letters The ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 14th in the Oval Room of the MNAC, and will award the country's most lucrative prize for a published work, with a prize of €25,000 (€20,000 goes directly to the winner, and €5,000 is allocated for promotion). The 10 nominated novels are:

• The big familyby Antonia Carré-Pons (Editor Club)
• The man who sold the worldby Melchor Comes (Bow)
• If a familyby Alba Dalmau (Editorial Angle)
• Virgil, by Quim Español (1984 Editions)
• War, victory, tomorrow, by Carlos Fenollosa (Libros de la Drassana)
• The cloistersby Víctor García Tur (Blackhead)
• Demolition, by Lluís Llort (Editorial Clandestina)
• Even sooner than ever, by Miguel de Palol (Navona)
• The screamsby Víctor Recort (The Other Publishing House)
• Scenariosby Toni Sala (The Other Publishing House)

The Òmnium Prize for Best Novel of the Year was established in 2017. The winner of the first edition was Raül Garrigasait with I miss thems. Learning to talk to plantsMarta Orriols's work won the prize in 2018. In 2019, the award went to Martí Domínguez, with The spirit of the timesand in 2020 it fell back into Boulderby Eva Baltasar. In 2021 the Òmnium Prize for best novel of the year went to Junil in the lands of the barbarians, by Joan-Lluís Lluís; in 2022 for Rage, by Sebastià Alzamora; in 2023, for The teacher and the beastby Imma Monsó; and last year the winner was Manuel Baixauli for Horse, athlete, bird

"The list of nominated works proposed by the committee demonstrates once again the literary quality that emerges year after year in the Catalan Countries, from Valencia to Girona, passing through Sa Pobla, Terrassa, and Barcelona," says Xavier Antich, president of Òmnium Cultural, who also notes that three of the most recent nominees are among the most recent. He also praises "the work done by the publishers, of which there are nine different ones this year."

Until last year, the Night of Catalan Literature was known as the Night of Saint Lucy and was celebrated on December 13th. This year, the celebration has moved to March and has expanded with new awards—such as those for comics and plays—and the announcement of the winner of the Òmnium Prize for the best novel of the year.