Latin American First Novel Award

With Los hijuetantas, David Betancourt won the Sergio Galindo Latin American First Novel Award

Among the laurels that the paisa's literary work has earned are the National Short Story Prize at the Universidad Industrial de Santander and the Jorge Gaitán Durán Short Story Book Prize.

A jury made up of writers Federico Ferroggiaro, Daniela Tarazona and Carlos Cortés has awarded the Sergio Galindo Latin American First Novel Prize to the book Los hijuetantas, by the Antioquian writer David Betancourt. This literary award is sponsored by the Universidad Veracruzana, in Mexico, and is awarded to the best first novel by a Latin American author. Betancourt is not the first Colombian to pin the laurel on his lapel: the novel La balada de los bandoleros baladíes, by Daniel Ferreira, had already received this distinction.
Los hijuetantas narrates the migratory experience of a Colombian family that settles in Mexico and ends up absorbed by the culture of the northern country, according to what the author told EL COLOMBIANO. The book is the result of the graduate studies of Betancourt, who lived for ten years in Mexico. There he saw first-hand the ingenuity of the Mexicans and had the opportunity to compare it with that of the Colombians and the Paisas. “This novel was the thesis for my master's degree. It received the highest rating. I think that helped the book handle the words of the colloquial language of that country well,” said David.
The name and work of David Betancourt are not unknown to the Colombian reading public, particularly those interested in the story. Until now, the Antioquian had published seven books of stories, many of them promoted by national and international awards. His books have been published by university publishers, independent publishers and multinational labels.
In May David will attend a ceremony in which the Sergio Galindo 2024 ruling will be read and the winning book from the previous call will be presented. His book will be published in 2025 and will be part of the programming of the Book Fair organized by the Universidad Veracruzana.