Wikipedia

David Uclés

David Uclés Vílchez (Úbeda, 21 January 1990) is a Spanish writer, musician, illustrator, and translator. In 2024 he published La península de las casas vacías (The Peninsula of Empty Houses), which became a bestseller. In 2026 his novel La ciudad de las luces muertas (The City of Dead Lights) won the Nadal Prize. He is a Favorite Son of his birthplace.

David Uclés
Born (1990-01-21) January 21, 1990 (age 36)
Úbeda, Spain
OccupationsWriter, musician, illustrator, and translator

Biography

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David Uclés studied linguistics in Córdoba, Münster (Germany), and Granada, and worked as a teacher of Spanish, German, and English in Germany, France, and Switzerland. He also lived in England and spent several years in Galicia,[1] the Basque Country, and Catalonia. He currently resides in Madrid.[2]

His work fall within the literary movement of magical realism,[3] and among his literary influences are Günter Grass, Gabriel García Márquez, José Saramago, Mercè Rodoreda, Miguel de Unamuno, Salman Rushdie, Edgar Hilsenrath, and Olga Tokarczuk.

In 2019, he received the Complutense Prize for Literature in the narrative category for his first work, El llanto del león,[4] a theatrical novel that recounts the last conversations between a father suffering from cancer and his ten-year-old son. The president of the jury was Luis Mateo Díez, winner of the 2023 Cervantes Prize. In 2020, he published Emilio & Octubre with the Dos Bigotes publishing house, a novel that tells the love story of two men from the birth of one to the death of the other, in the near future, in which the protagonists enter three-dimensional paintings in museums and travel through art across Europe.[5][6]

His third novel, La península de las casas vacías, published by Ediciones Siruela in March 2024,[7] narrates the entire Spanish Civil War in a magical realist style. It is the result of fifteen years of work and an exhaustive journey of documentation and memory throughout Spain.[8] For its creation, it received the Montserrat Roig and Leonardo scholarships.[9][10][2]

It was awarded the Cálamo Best Book of the Year Award 2024,[11] the Andalusia Critics' Award 2025, the Espartaco Award from the Semana Negra de Gijón for Best Historical Novel, the Kelvin 505 Award for Best Fantasy Novel, the Dulce Chacón Award 2025, the Arcebispo Juan de San Clemente Literary Prize, the Festival 42 Prize for Best Novel in Spanish, the Andalucía de las Letras 2025, the El Corte Inglés Un Año de Libros 2025 Prize for Best Fiction Book, and was a finalist for the VI Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial Novel Prize. It was also the Spanish candidate for the 2025 European Union Prize for Literature. It reached 30 editions in less than two years and sold over 300,000 copies, becoming one of the best-selling books of 2024 and 2025.[12] The novel is being translated into 15 languages, including French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Danish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Czech, Galician, Albanian, Serbian, and Greek. It was selected as the second-best book of the year by the jury of Babelia's annual list (2024).[13]

In February 2026, he published his fourth novel, La ciudad de las luces muertas (The City of Dead Lights), which recreates a dark Barcelona through which a hundred artists and writers from different eras pass, all maintaining a relationship with the city. The literary project was begun in 2021 and uses the writer Carmen Laforet as a central figure.[14] The novel won the Nadal Prize, submitted under the pseudonym Oriol Arce and the title Ruge otro día estival (Another Summer Day Roars). Uclés dedicated the literary award to the writers Mercè Rodoreda, Montserrat Roig, and Laforet.[15]

In addition, David Uclés has been named Favorite Son of Úbeda by the City Council of Úbeda[16] and has won the Jaén Paraíso Interior Award granted by the Provincial Council of Jaén.[17]

As a musician, he sings and composes on the harp, piano, accordion, and guitar. He has composed the music for various plays, documentaries, and exhibitions (Tabacalera,[18] University of Paris,[19] LesGaiCineMad).

Works

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Novels

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  • El llanto del león (The Lion's Cry), 2019
  • Emilio y Octubre (Emilio and Octubre), 2020
  • La península de las casas vacías (The Peninsula of Empty Houses), 2024
  • La ciudad de las luces muertas (City of Dead Lights), 2026

Awards

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2026

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  • Nadal Prize for the Novel, for La ciudad de las luces muertas (City of Dead Lights).[4]

2025

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  • Andalusia Prize for Literary Criticism.[20]
  • Finalist and Spanish nominee for the European Union Prize for Literature.[21]
  • Espartaco Prize (Semana Negra de Gijón) for Best Historical Novel.[22]
  • Kelvin 505 Award for Best Fantasy Novel.[23]
  • Dulce Chacón Prize for Spanish Narrative.[24]
  • Finalist for the 6th Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial Novel Prize.[21]
  • Arcebispo Juan de San Clemente Literary Prize.[25]
  • Festival 42 Award for Best Novel in Spanish.[26]
  • El Corte Inglés “Un Año de Libros” Award 2025 for Best Fiction Book.[21]
  • Andalusia Prize for Literature.[21]
  • Jaén Person of the Year Award (Culture).[27]
  • 9th Corazón de Olavide Award.[28]

2024

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  • Spanish Ministry of Culture Grant for Literary Creation, for Niños jugando en las ruinas (Children Playing in the Ruins).[29]
  • Cálamo Award – Book of the Year (2024), for La península de las casas vacías (The Peninsula of Empty Houses).[11]

2022

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  • Montserrat Roig Literary Creation Grant, awarded by the Barcelona City Council, for La península de las casas vacías (The Peninsula of Empty Houses).[30]
  • Leonardo Grant for Literary Creation and Performing Arts, BBVA Foundation, for La península de las casas vacías (The Peninsula of Empty Houses).[31]

2021

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  • Cristina Tomi Short Narrative Prize, awarded by the Hispano-Romanian Association “Salva”: First Mention for La filósofa en el café y el pintor en el prostíbulo (The Philosopher in the Café and the Painter in the Brothel).[30]

2020

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  • Honorary Mention (Accésit), 10th Dr. Pedro Zarco Short Story Prize, Aula Social of Hospital Clínico San Carlos, for Bicardio Reis.[30]

2019

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  • Complutense Prize for Literature, for El llanto del león (The Lion's Cry).[32]

References

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  1. ↑ "David Uclés, el autor andaluz de uno de los libros del año que siempre vuelve en verano a Santiago y ahora sorprende tocando la campana de la Catedral". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  2. 1 2 "Uclés, David". academialacentral.com. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  3. ↑ Martínez, Borja (2026-01-08). "El realismo mágico ataca Barcelona". El Independiente (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  4. 1 2 "Tribuna Complutense :: UCM". www.ucm.es. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  5. ↑ Madrid, Carlos (2025-06-06). "David Uclés y 'Emilio y Octubre': la historia de un amor platónico que sucede dentro de sus cuadros favoritos". Traveler (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  6. ↑ "David Uclés y la novela del amor homosexual puro". lacontradejaen.eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  7. ↑ Babelia (2024-04-22). "Las 30 recomendaciones de 'Babelia' para el Día del Libro de 2024". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  8. ↑ Gómez, Nel (2026-01-07). "El duro camino de David Uclés hasta el éxito de 'La península de las casas vacías' y el Premio Nadal: "Nunca había tenido más de 500 euros en el banco"". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  9. ↑ Morán, David (2026-01-11). "El 'efecto Uclés': las becas y residencias literarias como 'armadura' económica y creativa". El Periódico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  10. ↑ "David Uclés Vílchez, becario Leonardo 2022 en Creación Literaria". Red Leonardo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  11. 1 2 "'La península de las casas vacías', de David Uclés, elegido Libro del año 2024 en los Premios Cálamo". www.europapress.es. 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  12. ↑ "Blackwater, Joana Marcús y David Uclés: bestsellers bien". elDiario.es (in Spanish). 2024-10-23. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  13. ↑ Babelia (2024-12-14). "Los 50 mejores libros de 2024". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  14. ↑ "David Uclés publica 'La ciudad de las luces muertas': "La esperanza tienes que crearla"". www.europapress.es. 2026-02-04. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  15. ↑ "David Uclés gana el Premio Nadal con la novela 'La ciudad de las luces muertas'". RTVE.es (in Spanish). 2026-01-06. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  16. ↑ "Así fue el nombramiento de David Uclés, Zahara y Moisés Nieto como Hijos Predilectos de Úbeda". www.diariojaen.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  17. ↑ "David Uclés, distinguido en los Premios Jaén, paraíso interior 2025". www.diariojaen.es (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  18. ↑ Página Dos - Programa cultural en RTVE Play (in Spanish). 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2026-04-26 – via www.rtve.es.
  19. ↑ "From one world to another / D'un monde à l'autre". K L A U S F R U C H T N I S. 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
  20. ↑ "El escritor David Uclés (35), sobre el libro más adictivo que ha leído en los últimos años: "Me lo leí del tirón en un par de horas"". ELLE (in European Spanish). 2025-11-24. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "El best seller de David Uclés, protagonista del debate del Premio Novela Europea en Santiago". Diario Compostela (in Spanish). 2026-04-08. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  22. ↑ "Uclés, Trejo, Usón, García Llovet y Marlasca, los grandes ganadores de lujo de la Semana Negra de Gijón". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2025-07-11. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  23. ↑ ""La península de las casas vacías" es galardonada con el Premio Kelvin 505". www.diariojaen.es (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  24. ↑ "David Uclés gana el XX Premio de Narrativa Española 'Dulce Chacón' por 'La Península de las casas vacías'". OndaCero (in Spanish). 2025-09-29. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  25. ↑ Sanmartín, Xabier (2026-01-13). "Ledicia Costas, David Uclés y Lídia Jorge recogerán el premio San Clemente el día 21 de enero en Santiago". El Correo Gallego (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  26. ↑ "David Uclés y Elisenda Solsona, premios del festival 42". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2025-11-07. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  27. ↑ "Jiennenses del Año 2024. David Uclés: "Siempre que surja un acto en mi provincia, vendré"". www.diariojaen.es (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  28. ↑ L, E. (2025-04-12). "Reconocimiento a la solidaridad y la concordia jienense en los IX Premios 'Corazón de Olavidia'". Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  29. ↑ "Subvenciones para la Creación Literaria". 2024.
  30. 1 2 3 "Edición 2022 - Becas Montserrat Roig y Becas Carme Montoriol | Ciutat de la Literatura | Ajuntament de Barcelona". ajuntament.barcelona.cat (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  31. ↑ "David Uclés Vílchez, becario Leonardo 2022 en Creación Literaria". Red Leonardo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  32. ↑ "El llanto del león | Ediciones Complutense". www.ucm.es. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
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