Spanish writer Cristina Fernández Cubas has won the 2026 Cervantes Prize, the highest distinction in Spanish-language literature. Spain’s Culture Minister, Ernest Urtasun, announced the jury’s decision on November 3. The award carries €125,000.
The jury recognized Fernández Cubas for renewing the contemporary short story and praised the originality, excellence and coherence of her work. It also cited her contribution to Spanish-language fantasy fiction and her exploration of human experience through stories shaped by mystery and ambiguity, according to Spain’s Ministry of Culture.
Born in Arenys de Mar, Barcelona, in 1945, Fernández Cubas is known for collections including Mi hermana Elba, El ángulo del horror and La habitación de Nona. The Cervantes Prize recognizes a writer’s body of work rather than a single book.
She has also received the National Narrative Prize for La habitación de Nona and Spain’s National Prize for Spanish Letters, awarded in 2023. Fernández Cubas is the seventh woman to receive the Cervantes Prize. Previous women laureates include María Zambrano, Ana María Matute and Elena Poniatowska.
The award adds to a career closely associated with the short story, a form the jury said she has helped renew in contemporary Spanish-language literature.
Nicole French