Victoria Szpunberg, National Prize for Dramatic Literature
The jury particularly praised 'The Categorical Imperative' "for its profound and powerful dramatic impact."
BarcelonaThe playwright and director Victoria Szpunberg (Buenos Aires, 1973) was awarded this Friday the National Prize for Dramatic Literature, awarded by the Ministry of Culture and endowed with 30,000 euros. The jury especially praised her. The categorical imperative "for the deep and powerful dramatic charge and the mastery of an ingenious technique with which the author finds the ideal tone and temperature of an ironic and incisive piece." Premiered at the Teatre Lliure in March 2024, the play starred Àgata Roca, who interpreted the dark journey of a university ethics professor in a precarious situation.
"From a philosophical basis, Szpunberg portrays the cruelty of a system capable of expelling any of its members, even when they submit to its rules," adds the jury. The categorical imperative has been a success since its premiere, so much so that the Lliure rescheduled it in June of this year. The production has also been recognized with various awards, including the Max Award for Best Actress and the Butaca Award for Best Text.
Szpunberg's award recognizes the work of an author with a long and prolific career. The playwright debuted in 1998 with Between here and there (The length of a walk) and since then, he has made a career with shows like The speaking machine (2007), The Clausman sisters' favorite brand (2010) and The eleventh plague (2015). Among his most recent works are The weight of a body (2022) and The third escape (2025), which made her the first woman to direct and write a play at the Sala Gran of the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. This season she will be present in the Catalan program with two proposals: she will direct Permagel in the Texas Space and will once again take place Heartache on stage, in this case at La Villarroel.
In previous editions, the National Prize for Dramatic Literature has recognized other Catalan authors such as Guillermo Clua (2020) and Josep Maria Miró (2022). Other winners include María Velasco, Alfredo Sanzol, and Juan Mayorga.