has been awarded the National Award for the Best Cultural Editorial Work, worth 30,000 euros. The jury highlighted the publisher for “its invaluable contribution in elevating comics to the category of high literature and for the enormous artistic ambition of a catalog that testifies to its demanding spirit.”
In more than two decades Astiberri has built a catalog of more than 700 titles. Among them are six who received the National Comic Award, which premiered in 2007. The jury has pointed out that Astiberri, an undisputed reference in the independent publishing scene, “has built its prestige by betting on careful formats and works with a marked author’s seal. His publications address complex topics such as historical memory, war journalism, biography and social criticism. Good editorial work has consolidated the careers of fundamental national figures with the publication of works that have become emblematic and, at the same time, it has built cultural bridges with the translation of relevant international creators.”
. Asti, free time; berry, new. “We look for stories that have a certain implication with social reality,” Fernando Tarancón, founder and editor of Astiberri, told EL PAÍS. One of the first works they published was Blankets, by Craig Thompson. When market logic pushed them to publish black and white booklets, they released a 600-page book that cost 35 euros. It could have been the grave – “it was an almost unconscious bet” – but time proved them right.
Furthermore, the jury has expressed that “with a quarter of a century of history and a thousand live titles, its solid and coherent management continues to attract new audiences thanks to the variety and technical beauty and aesthetics of its books.”
Astiberri was born in Bilbao in March 2001 and this year celebrates his 25th anniversary. He has edited works by authors such as Edmond Baudoin, Lea Mazé, Jason Lutes, Eleanor Davis, Jeff Smith, Frederik Peeters, Josephine Mark, Craig Thompson, Alberto Breccia, Jason, Baru, Shigeru Mizuki, Guy Delisle, Jason, Jeff Lemire, Yaro Abe and François Bourgeon.
