Madrid, February 17, 2026 – The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, accompanied by the Delegate for Culture, Tourism and Sport, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, presided over the presentation of the first ‘Sentir Madrid’ Prize at Casa de la Villa. The inaugural award was bestowed upon the esteemed writer Manuel Longares. Established by the City Council in 2025, the ‘Sentir Madrid’ Prize recognizes careers deeply connected to Madrid, honoring artists, creators, and professionals from any discipline who have significantly contributed to representing and disseminating the cultural image of the capital.
Longares Honored for Capturing Madrid’s Essence
Mayor Almeida expressed his honor that Longares accepted the award, acknowledging his “extraordinary values and for being an artist who has known how to portray the essence of the city and express the feeling of its streets.” Almeida lauded Longares’s “extraordinarily long career,” which has placed him among “the great chroniclers of the city.” He also emphasized the importance of these awards, which are born “with a vocation for permanence” and showcase Madrid as “a creative, vibrant, and talent-filled city.”
The jury for this first edition was chaired by writer Luis Mateo Díez. The ceremony concluded with a zarzuela performance by Miguel Ferrer and Ana Paula Pangea, who interpreted a piece from ‘La verbena de la Paloma,’ a nod to the connection between Longares’s work and the characters of this quintessential Madrid musical genre.
Manuel Longares: Madrid as a Character
Born in Madrid in 1943, Manuel Longares boasts a distinguished literary career with Madrid consistently serving as a central narrative space. In his works, the city transcends mere setting to become a character in itself, with its culture, history, and social strata weaving through all his books. Longares studied Law at the Complutense University, earned a degree in Journalism from the Official School, and pursued Hispanic Philology. As a journalist, he contributed to prominent publications such as Diario 16, El Mundo, and El Sol.
His true calling, however, proved to be literature. His extensive bibliography includes novels such as ‘El enfermo’ (1964), the cycle titled ‘La vida de la letra’-comprising ‘La novela del corsé’ (1979), ‘Soldaditos de Pavía’ (1984), and ‘Operación Primavera’ (1992)-‘No puedo vivir sin ti’ (1995), ‘Romanticismo’ (2001), for which he received the Critics’ Prize for Castilian Narrative, ‘Nuestra epopeya’ (2006), ‘Los ingenuos’ (2013), ‘El oído absoluto’ (2016), and ‘Sentimentales’ (2018).
Longares has also authored several collections of short stories: ‘Apariencias’ (1992), ‘Extravíos’ (1999), ‘La ciudad sentida’ (2007), ‘Las cuatro esquinas’ (2011), which earned him the Book of the Year Award from the Madrid Booksellers’ Guild and the first Francisco Umbral Prize for Book of the Year, and ‘Cuentos’ (2017). His most recent novel, ‘Cortesanos,’ a historical satire on courtly Madrid over the centuries, was published just days ago.
The “Sentir Madrid” Prize aims to continue recognizing individuals who, through their artistic endeavors, enrich and broaden the perception of Madrid’s vibrant cultural landscape. This inaugural award to Manuel Longares sets a high standard for future recipients, celebrating those who truly embody the spirit of the city in their work.
Source: madrid.es
