A Terrible Beauty (Una belleza terrible), the novel co-authored by José Ovejero and Edurne Portela, has been awarded the 2025 Book of the Year Award in the Fiction category, granted by the Madrid Booksellers Guild (Gremio de Librerías de Madrid).
The jury praised the novel "for rescuing from oblivion the history of those who put their lives at the service of the fight for a fairer society," further highlighting "an excellent documentation work and a fascinating narrative."
Halfway between a period chronicle, an essay, and a biography, A Terrible Beauty proposes an ambitious journey through the 20th century—from Paris during World War I to the 1980s, passing through the Spanish Civil War and Peronist Argentina. Through its pages, Ovejero and Portela rescue the lights, shadows, and ideals of a group of Trotskyist revolutionaries led by the fascinating figure of Raymond Molinier, who defied the great totalitarianisms of history.
From the Balcells Agency, we would like to congratulate José Ovejero and Edurne Portela on this well-deserved recognition, which once again consolidates the tremendous narrative power and literary commitment of its authors.