# Julian Barnes Wins 2026 Asturias Literary Prize

> 80-year-old British writer Julian Barnes wins Asturias Literary Prize with final novel.
- Title: Julian Barnes Wins 2026 Asturias Literary Prize · Clarín
- Summary: 80-year-old British writer Julian Barnes wins Asturias Literary Prize with final novel.
- Keywords: julian barnes, premio princesa de asturias de las letra, despedidas, literatura, escritor británico, 80 años, novela, premio somerset maugham, el loro de flaubert, premio booker, sally rooney, brexit
- Source: Clarín — https://clarin.com/internacional/julian-barnes-escritor-britanico-80-anos-premio-princesa-asturias-letras-2026-sigo-pensando-literatura-cuenta-verdad-humana-corazon-espiritu_0_x64MjzGDGl.html
- Author: Redacción Clarín
- Published: 2026-11-07T08:01:05+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: julian barnes, premio princesa de asturias de las letra, despedidas, literatura, escritor británico, 80 años, novela, premio somerset maugham, el loro de flaubert, premio booker, sally rooney, brexit
## Barnes wins Asturias Literary Prize
80-year-old British writer Julian Barnes receives 2026 Asturias Literary Prize with final novel Despedidas after 45 years of writing.

> Sigo pensando que la literatura es la que cuenta la verdad humana, la del corazón y el espíritu
## Prize described as posmodernista
The award was described as 'posmodernista' and 'one of the greatest revelations of English literature in recent decades' by the Asturias Foundation.
## Socorro Suárez Lafuente proposed name
Retired University of Oviedo professor Socorro Suárez Lafuente proposed Barnes for the award.
## Barnes' writing origins
Barnes, born in Leicester in 1946, became a writer due to his shyness and love of literature.
## Early writing influences
At 15, Barnes preferred Dostoevsky over military exercises, reading Crime and Punishment during lunch.
## Barnes' literary career
Barnes published 15 novels since 1980, winning the Somerset Maugham Prize in 1980 and the Booker Prize in 2011.
## Final novel announcement
Barnes announced 'Despedidas' as his final novel after 45 years of writing, stating he has 'touched all the notes he can play'.
## Barnes' views on Brexit and Sally Rooney
Barnes called Brexit a 'economic, political and moral disaster' and supported Sally Rooney, who cannot publish in the UK due to her pro-palestine activism.
## Key takeaway

Julian Barnes, 80, receives 2026 Asturias Literary Prize for final novel 'Despedidas' after 45 years of writing.