Hay Festival Colombia Digital

The geographies of María Dueñas (Spain) place the protagonist of Por si un día volvemos in Oran in the 1920s. Although she has, on the face of it, crossed the Mediterranean to escape poverty, every flight has more than one motive, and as the plot unfolds, we will peel back all the layers of her story. The author of The Time In Between, Las hijas del capitán and Sira retains those characteristic elements —migratory movements, courageous women as protagonists— that have made her one of the most important and widely read writers in the Spanish-speaking world. In conversation with Mariana H.

Esta improbable tierra prometida is a living chronicle of a continent. This is Latin America as seen through the eyes and pen of the essayist Alma Guillermoprieto (Mexico). It is a compendium of violence, power and beauty, forming her third volume of essays dedicated to the region and completing a portrait of tragedy and glory in the age of populism and demagoguery. It features interviews with murderers and relatives of their victims; conversations with thoughtful politicians and heads of state; and with artists, street sweepers… This is the Latin America of the recent past.

After becoming the youngest author to win the prestigious Booker Prize for The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai (India) went on to publish her next novel straight away. However, The Solitude of Sonia and Sunny comes after two decades of letting her memories of India simmer. As in her previous novel, the story is set in both the United States and India, but also in Mexico, where she lived for a time, which helped her to understand American influence from a different perspective. Sonia and Sunny’s story is one of love, migration and rootlessness and, above all, of the different kinds of loneliness that emerge on the periphery.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

We welcome you to a very special evening, during which the Teatro de la Ciudad de Querétaro will be transformed into a sort of makeshift operating theatre, and every verse by Gilraen Eärfalas (Mexico) will serve as the thread that stitches up the wounded heart. Behind this name with elvish overtones lies an unconventional writer, who is also a clinical laboratory technician and a general practitioner by training. This expertise resonates deeply in her recent collection of poems, De anatomía poética, from which she will recite, present and explain selected poems. Where there is a wound, there was blood; and if it flowed, it is because something made it pulse. A warm, intimate and cosy evening to delve into the gigiverse.

While in books such as Privacy is Power the philosopher and Oxford University lecturer Carissa Véliz focused on the dangers of handing over our personal data to large corporations without understanding the consequences of doing so, she now tackles a more unsettling issue: the future that lies ahead. Once again, she warns us that blindly trusting technology leaves us vulnerable. In Prophecy, Véliz focuses on the history and ethics of predictions, analyses how artificial intelligence and surveillance are redefining our concept of humanity, and warns of the risk of taking everything AI says at face value. She reaches an inevitable conclusion: a free society does not need more predictions, but better preparation. In conversation with Eduardo Rabasa, editor at Sexto Piso.

Leaving home and reaching school, the health centre, the market and work in no time at all. What in some places seems like a utopia is simply an urban planning concept that can transform the way we live: the 15-minute city, an idea conceived by Carlos Moreno (Colombia/France). 2026 is the year that marks three centuries since construction began on the Queretaro aqueduct, the city’s architectural and urban planning icon, and it presents a unique opportunity to view the city with fresh eyes. Queretaro continues to grow and transform; how close or far is it now from becoming a 15-minute city? The renowned urban planner will give a lecture on Queretaro, in which he will discuss the city’s challenges and the opportunities it has to improve the well-being of its citizens.

Day after day, hundreds of journalists report on the diverse realities of Mexico and Central America, with countless reports on violence, but also human stories that fill us with optimism. Alma Guillermoprieto (Mexico), Óscar Martínez (El Salvador) and Gabriela Warkentin (Mexico) are responsible for giving a voice to these issues and ensuring they reach the public. They will discuss this and the state of journalism in the region, moderated by Beatriz Guillén, journalist of El País.

For more than three decades, Emmanuel del Real has been one of the cornerstones of Café Tacvba. A multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter, he may have built a career with a lower profile than those of his bandmates, but one that has always been crucial to understanding the band’s sound. La montaña encendida, his first solo venture and one of last year’s most interesting albums, reflects one of the most creative and sensitive minds in Spanish-language rock. In this conversation with Sopitas, he looks back on his musical journey, his creative processes, his artistic interests and what it has been like to be part of a generation that has become ingrained in popular culture.

Darío Sztajnszrajber (Argentina) is something of a rock star of philosophy. With his accessible, direct style, he has brought philosophy to large audiences, television and radio. He has captivated non-specialist audiences and is a populariser of both the great philosophical questions of history and contemporary ideas. In El amor es imposible, he dismantles normative romantic love in eight theses. The philosopher questions concepts such as the soul mate or ideal partner, and invites us to rethink heartbreak as part of the desire for the impossible.

What can literature do in a world shaped by war? Can words bear witness, document crimes, offer a form of justice when legal systems fall short, and help us imagine different futures? Drawing on their own experiences, the speakers will explore literature's responsibilities in times of conflict.

Ukrainian poet and servicewoman Yaryna Chornohuz brings to her poetry the lived experience of serving on the front line as a marine and combat medic. Nigerian poet Inua Ellams reflects on literature as a collective art form capable of bringing together communities of African origin living in the post-colonial continent. Historian and writer Olesya Khromeychuk interweaves history and personal experience to examine the global consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Join this trio of acclaimed writers and journalist Misha Glenny in an evening of fiction, poetry, and reflections at The Conduit as we welcome old friends and new faces to our stage for this timely conversation. This event is part of Lviv BookForum 2026, run in partnership with Hay Festival Global and the Ukrainian Institute London.

Event schedule

6:30pm: Doors open, Pre event socialising and networking

A cash bar will be available for refreshments.

7:00pm: Event begins

8:00pm: Event ends

Post event book signing, socialising and networking

Speakers:

Yaryna Chornohuz is a Ukrainian writer and poet, and since 2020 has served as a marine in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She is the author of three poetry collections and the recipient of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine in literature (2024) as well as the Women in Arts. Literature Award (2024). For her military service, she has been awarded the Medal “For a Saved Life” (2022), the Honorary Badge of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and the Medal “For Military Service to Ukraine.”

Inua Ellams is a writer and curator. He is a cross disciplinary artist, an internationally touring performer, a poet, playwright, screenwriter, graphic artist & designer. His published books of poetry include Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars, Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales, The Wire-Headed Heathen, #Afterhours, and The Actual. His first play The 14th Tale was awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival. His plays include Barber Shop Chronicles, Three Sisters and The Half-God of Rainfall. He is currently touring Search Party, An Evening With An Immigrant and working on several commissions across stage and screen.

Olesya Khromeychuk is a historian and writer. She is the author of The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister (2022) and Undetermined Ukrainians (2013). Khromeychuk has written for The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Prospect and The New Statesman, and has delivered a TED talk on ‘What the World Can Learn From Ukraine's Fight for Democracy’. She has taught the history of East-Central Europe at several British universities and is currently the Director of the Ukrainian Institute London.

Misha Glenny is an award-winning journalist, author, and public intellectual. A former BBC Central Europe Correspondent who covered the revolutions in Eastern Europe and the wars in the former Yugoslavia, he is a sought-after keynote speaker on the geopolitics of cybersecurity and organized crime. His best-selling non-fiction book McMafia (Bodley Head, 2008), about the globalization of organized crime, was adapted into a major TV drama series on BBC1 and AMC. Glenny is also the author of an acclaimed single-volume history of the modern Balkans.

At 22 years old, Nelio Biedermann is able to weave together his aristocratic family past and his middle-class present with astonishing sincerity to tell the truth and veil the most disturbing episodes. A time he has revisited, one in which majestic palaces, the beauty of works of art, and the death and destruction that accompanied the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire—leaving deep scars on his family—are intertwined. Biedermann, a Swiss national, has poured all these experiences into a book that has taken Germany by storm under the title Lázár. Critics have highlighted its mystical tone and a classical prose style unexpected in such a young author, to the point that some are already placing him in the tradition of Thomas Mann. In conversation with philologist and cultural expert Antonia Blau. Moderated by the journalist Irene Hernández Velasco.

Following the event, the author will sign copies of his book

Event in German, with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish and English

Europe is undergoing a period of profound redefinition. Amid rapid technological change, geopolitical tensions, and the transformation of liberal democracies, fundamental questions are resurfacing about identity, education, culture, and the very meaning of the European project. What values can sustain Europe today? How is the technological revolution shaping the way we think, learn, and live together? What remains of the European humanist ideal in an era marked by uncertainty and fragmentation? Peter Sloterdijk —undoubtedly one of the great living philosophers whose controversial views fuel essential debates— will engage in a dialogue with Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño, president of IE University, on the major intellectual and cultural challenges of our time.

The discussion will begin with The Continent Without Qualities, Sloterdijk’s latest essay, a lucid reflection on Europe’s loss of political and spiritual horizon and on the tensions between technology, culture, and democracy in the 21st century. In the second part, three students from IE University’s European Union Club will join the conversation in an exercise in intergenerational dialogue that will highlight the voices of Young people and their role in building a shared future.

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish

What happens when an image we thought we knew reveals a different story? How are the narratives that shape our understanding of international conflicts constructed? And what does it mean to pursue truth in an age of disinformation, competing narratives and information warfare?

Inspired by the questions raised in The Stringer, the acclaimed Netflix documentary produced by Gary Knight, this conversation brings together Knight, one of the world’s leading photojournalists, and veteran international correspondent Anna Bosch to explore the power of images, frontline reporting and the responsibility of those who document history as it unfolds.

Moderated by Borja Santos Porras, Vice Dean of IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs, the discussion broadens the conversation beyond journalism to examine how international narratives are shaped—and challenged. Bringing together the perspectives of a photojournalist, a foreign correspondent and a scholar of global affairs, the panel will explore who gets to tell the stories that define our understanding of the world, why those stories matter, and why the search for truth begins with the willingness to look again.

Event in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish

Tim Marshall is a British journalist and author specialising in foreign affairs and international diplomacy, with three decades of experience covering conflicts such as the Balkan Wars, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Arab Spring. The author of several books that explain global affairs through the lens of geopolitics, Prisoners of Geography—in which he examines how geography shapes the reality of countries and regions—became a bestseller in 2015. Written a year after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, it offered insights into the forces driving the conflict. Eleven years later, Marshall has published a revised edition of the book, incorporating the events that have unfolded since then, from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to its growing alignment with authoritarian regimes. In conversation with Volodymyr Biehlov.

Acclaimed novelist Jessica Andrews joins Cristina Ward, Head of Arts at British Council Spain, for an in-depth discussion of her work, exploring the powerful themes that run through her writing. Andrews’ debut Saltwater, winner of the Portico Prize, and her second novel Milk Teeth, shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Encore Award, both examine the intersections of identity, social class, gender and the body with striking sensitivity and precision.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Andrews will reflect on how these cross-cutting concerns shape her fiction, as well as tracing her journey to becoming a writer. From early influences to her emergence as one of the most distinctive voices of her generation, the discussion will offer insight into her creative process and the evolving concerns of her work.

After the event, the author will be signing copies of her books

Event in English

Javier Sierra, writer and journalist; Vicente Alcañiz, Education Inspector at the Regional Ministry of Education of the Community of Madrid; and Mar Domínguez, director of the Colpisa news agency will reflect on the challenges reading face. In conversation with Carme Riera, writer, deputy director of the RAE and president of CEDRO, they will address how reading habits have changed, the impact of social media and new sources of information. In addition, there will be a discussion on the benefits of reading and the importance of education as a key tool for promoting respect for copyright and combating piracy through awareness-raising. And how reading makes us reflect on beauty and pain, emotion, knowledge and worlds that are sometimes inaccessible were it not for books.

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in Spanish

Charlotte Higgins is not a war correspondent but the chief culture writer of The Guardian. Yet in the autumn of 2022, seven months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she travelled to the country to understand how artists, writers, curators, and musicians were responding to the war. After several further visits, Higgins reflects on those experiences in Ukrainian Lessons, a book about a society defending not only its cities and borders, but also its memory, language, and cultural heritage. In conversation with Sasha Dovzhyk, she will discuss the artists documenting the conflict and the role of culture in preserving a sense of identity when a nation is forced to fight for its future.

What happens when we step away from the life we are expected to live and begin searching for the life we truly want? This is the question at the heart of Hwang Bo-Reum’s internationally acclaimed novel Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, a publishing phenomenon that has captivated readers around the world with its warmth, wisdom and quiet humanity.

In conversation with Catalina Tejero, Dean of IE School of Arts & Humanities, Hwang reflects on the themes that have made her work resonate across cultures: burnout, loneliness, friendship, community, and the healing power of books. Set in a small bookshop in a Seoul neighbourhood, her novel follows people who have lost their way and discover new possibilities through literature, conversation and human connection.

The event will be presented by Javier Gila, president of the AIDA Foundation, an organisation which, amongst other projects, collects and sells second-hand books to raise funds for charitable initiatives.

At the end of the event, the author will be signing copies of her book

Event in Korean with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish and English

Mahmoud al-Shaer and Muhammad al-Zaqzouq ran a magazine in Gaza called 28 Magazine, a platform for local writers and artists. The war in Gaza forced them to suspend their work for two and a half years; they have now managed to publish a special edition in collaboration with the digital platform Palestine is everywhere. A reflection on what it means to live in a state of suspended war and on the devastating reality of Gaza.

Muhammad al-Zaqzouq, one of the publication’s contributors, will participate from Gaza—via video link—in a conversation with Mahmoud al-Shaer, poet and editor of 28 Magazine, on the power of testimony as a record of historical construction, as a tool for preserving memory, and as a form with its own literary voice.

*All proceeds from the project will be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN).

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish

Alba Zamora, C.A. Todorova, and Eva Mayro, essential authors followed by tens of thousands of readers, discuss the rise of romantic fantasy, gothic romance and imaginary worlds as new territories of emotional education, where one flees from the superficial and seeks the beauty of the delicate. A discussion on heroines, wounds, desire, reading communities and the contemporary need to invent one’s own myths.

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in Spanish