Toni Mata wins the 15th Carlemany Prize for the Promotion of Reading with a novel that places financial education at the centre of the plot. The book was chosen by a jury of young readers who highlighted its complexity, perspective and quality of writing. Now you can get it with 11Onze.
There are topics that, despite profoundly shaping our lives, remain uncomfortable. Money is one of them. We talk about work, housing, inflation or salaries, but we often avoid addressing what connects all these issues: the relationship we have with money and the role it plays in the construction of our identity.
This is one of the reflections that Toni Mata shares in a recent radio interview following the publication of his new novel, “The Centre of the World”, published by Columna. The work, which won the Carlemany Prize for the Promotion of Reading, poses a question that is as simple as it is uncomfortable: what happens when a teenager discovers that money lies at the centre of many of the decisions that will end up defining her adult life?
The protagonist is Paula, a seventeen-year-old girl who lives on the outskirts of Sabadell and finds herself at that stage of life when every question seems open. She must decide what she wants to do with her future, which path she wants to follow and what kind of adult she aspires to become. Like so many other young people, she is torn between doing what she enjoys and choosing what will allow her to make a living. But unlike many conventional young adult novels, Paula also observes how money builds invisible walls between people, shapes opportunities and often becomes a tool of power.
This is a highly unusual subject in literature for young people and, in fact, it was rejected by the publishing house where the author had previously published several books. The reason was simple: the subject was unlikely to appeal to a young audience. For this reason, Toni Mata argued that “The Centre of the World” could only be published if readers wanted it, which is why he submitted the work to the Carlemany Prize, where young readers make the final decision. The paradox is evident: we live in a society where money influences virtually all the important decisions of adult life, yet we continue to believe that it is not an appropriate topic for young people.
The novel “The Centre of the World” rejects this paternalistic view. Mata argues that young people should be treated with intellectual respect, without excessively simplifying language or avoiding certain subjects. For this reason, the story uses rich language, a realistic approach and a critical perspective on issues such as digitalisation, loneliness, social inequalities and the role of money within our society.
The work also incorporates a dimension of financial education that is uncommon in contemporary literature. Without becoming a manual, it addresses issues related to the creation of money, the role of banking, the digitalisation of the economy and the influence of money on people’s life opportunities. A concern that the author began to develop during the years he dedicated to financial education projects linked to 11Onze.
Before writing the novel, Toni Mata received a literary creation grant from the Institució de les Lletres Catalanes to carry out the project. The author explains that he would not have liked a work financed with public resources to end up forgotten in a drawer. Now, with the Carlemany Prize under his arm, the book is available in bookshops throughout the country, published by Columna Edicions.
Perhaps the novel’s greatest achievement is reminding us that growing up is not simply a matter of getting older. Growing up means understanding that decisions have consequences, that freedom requires responsibility and that money, whether we like it or not, is part of many of the issues that will ultimately shape our lives.
11Onze gives away 110 copies
To celebrate the publication of a work that places financial education at the centre of the conversation, 11Onze will give away 110 copies of the novel to its community.
Taking part is very simple. All you have to do is fill in the attached form. Selected participants will receive a ticket with an identification code and the necessary instructions to collect their copy from the chosen bookshop.
An opportunity to discover a story about youth, literature and money, but above all about the questions that all of us have asked ourselves at some point when we began to build our future. A novel for young people and adults alike because it looks at the society around us and examines the centre of the world.
Equip Editorial 
