The novel Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov, translated in Spanish by Maria Vutova, has won the Grand Prize for Best Fiction Book 2025 awarded by the Spanish Confederation of Booksellers Guilds and Associations (Cegal), Gospodinov announced on his Facebook page.
“I consider this one of the most wonderful awards, because the voting is done by booksellers from more than 1,100 bookstores across Spain,” Gospodinov said.
The Spanish publishers of the novel, Impedimenta, also noted in a Facebook post that the day was particularly important for them, as the book had received the TodosTusLibros Award for Best Fiction Book 2025, presented by independent bookstores across Spain.
According to the publishers, since appearing in bookstores the novel has followed an extraordinary path: booksellers have recommended it enthusiastically, readers have given it as a gift, and critics have described it as one of the books of the year. They said that the book found its way from person to person, from conversation to conversation. This happens to works that touch something very deep, they added.
The publishers said that the novel was written out of a son’s love for his father, from memories, and from the gentle silence that sometimes exists between the closest of people. This is precisely why the award means so much to them, because it was granted by the booksellers who placed the book on their shelves from the very first day and supported it.
The TodosTusLibros Award is a literary prize in Spain recognizing outstanding books recommended by independent booksellers, according to the prize’s official website. It is organized by Cegal, the Confederation of Booksellers Guilds and Associations in Spain. The prize is awarded both to works originally written in Spanish and to translated titles that booksellers consider particularly valuable for readers. Through the selection made by independent bookstores, the award promotes quality literature and supports the role of local bookstores in the country’s literary life.
Editorial Impedimenta is an independent Spanish publishing house based in Madrid, founded in 2007 by Enrique Redel. Its main mission is to promote high-quality classical and contemporary literature by reviving fundamental works of Western literature and introducing new contemporary classics. The publishing house mainly releases fiction, known for its accurate translations and carefully designed editions intended both for reading and collecting. In 2008, the company received Spain’s National Prize for Best Independent Publisher. Its catalogue includes both established authors such as Penelope Fitzgerald and Iris Murdoch, as well as contemporary writers of recognized literary merit.
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