Pilar Quintana reconnects with childhood and wins Alfaguara By SIGAL RATNER-ARIASFebruary 8, 2021 GMT This image provided by Penguin Random House shows Colombian author Pilar Quintana, winner of the Alfaguara novel prize for "Los Abismos/The Abysses." (Manuela Uribe/Penguin Random House via AP) This image provided by Penguin Random House shows Colombian author Pilar Quintana, winner of the Alfaguara novel prize for "Los Abismos/The Abysses." (Manuela Uribe/Penguin Random House via AP) NEW YORK (AP) — It took Pilar Quintana four years and a few drafts to write “The Abysses” (“Los Abismos”,) winner of the 2021 Alfaguara Novel Prize. Quitana’s worries regarding maternity, and her “irrational” childhood terror of becoming an orphan, inspired the Colombian author to write this story about a young girl who reflects on her parents’ troubled marriage with extraordinary perception and sensitivity.