Hay Festival Colombia Digital

A very relevant conversation about the human body, the healing and pain, with doctor Santiago Rojas (Colombia), lecturer, science communicator and specialised in palliative cancer care and integrative medicine. In conversation with Gabriel Mesa Nicholls.

Among the many things wrong with our current socioeconomic system is not just the fact that healthcare is a privilege for the few, but that a whole illness industry exists that is structured around making a profit from those who are unwell, often with serious illnesses. The poet, essayist and lecturer Anne Boyer (United States) won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for The Undying. A Meditation on Modern Illness, an acute and lucid work that tells of her own experience as a survivor of an aggressive breast cancer, which led her to live through and understand some chilling realities. Boyer is also the author of books such as The Romance of Happy Workers (2008), The 2000s (2009), Garments Against Women (2015) and A Handbook of Disappointed Fate (2018). In conversation with Eduardo Rabasa.

Among the many things wrong with our current socioeconomic system is not just the fact that healthcare is a privilege for the few, but that a whole illness industry exists that is structured around making a profit from those who are unwell, often with serious illnesses. The poet, essayist and lecturer Anne Boyer (United States) won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for The Undying. A Meditation on Modern Illness, an acute and lucid work that tells of her own experience as a survivor of an aggressive breast cancer, which led her to live through and understand some chilling realities. Boyer is also the author of books such as The Romance of Happy Workers (2008), The 2000s (2009), Garments Against Women (2015) and A Handbook of Disappointed Fate (2018). In conversation with Eduardo Rabasa.

Is the human brain still evolving? Are the new technologies affecting it? The Argentinean neurologist Facundo Manes studied at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires and is a Doctor of Science from the University of Cambridge. He has published various books and produced television programmes such as Los enigmas del cerebro and Cerebro argentino, together with the Literature graduate Mateo Niro. His latest book, written with Niro, is called El cerebro del futuro: ¿Cambiará la vida moderna nuestra esencia?, and it tackles themes such as interdisciplinary work, the impact of the new technologies on the brain, neuroethics, how to treat mental illnesses and the role of science when dealing with social problems. He will talk to the BBC journalist Carlos Serrano.

Emotions have played an important role in the development of civilisations throughout history, from Ancient Greece to the present day. Richard Firth-Godbehere, author of A Human History of Emotion: How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know, his expertise in psychology, neuroscience, art, philosophy and religion to show that some of the most exceptional moments in history were not about events, but about feelings: the origins of philosophy, the birth of Christianity, the fall of Rome, the scientific revolution or the great wars of the 20th Century would not be understood without them. We must therefore ask ourselves to what extent emotions and emotional intelligence are important for our generations. Along with Lee Newman, behavioural science expert and Dean of IE Business School, he will discuss how emotions drive our behaviour and decision-making.

They will be joined by Jonathan Moules, journalist, newsletter editor and writer on The Week Ahead for the Financial Times.

Once the event has finished, the authors will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

Event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish

"Humans have spent decades trying to teach other animals our language... but have made little effort to learn theirs.” So says Eva Meijer, writer, philosopher and singer-songwriter, who bases much of her work on questions of language, both political and animal, since writing her award-winning doctoral thesis: Cuando los animales hablan (When Animals Speak). Her sixth novel, Sea: now, has been translated into eighteen languages. Her biography includes a long history of struggling and living with depression. This is the subject of one of her latest works translated in Spain: The limits of my language. Meditations on depression. She publishes essays and columns in the media in her native Netherlands.

Eva Meijer will talk to Jesús Ruiz Mantilla, journalist and writer, author, among other works, of Papel

There will be a book-signing at the bookstand in front of IE University

Event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish

Mariano Sigman is one of the world's leading neuroscientists, with more than 150 publications in the most prestigious scientific journals. He is also passionate about experimentation, and has worked with magicians, chefs, chess players, musicians, sportsmen and visual artists, bringing together neuroscience expertise and different aspects of human culture to apply them in different environments. He is the author of the bestseller The Secret Life of the Mind. In his lectures he explores what lessons can be drawn from mental functioning in areas such as decision-making, leadership, team management, personal development and creative skills, always making use of experiments and games to ensure a high level of audience participation.

Anne McElvoy has been policy editor, and head of audio at The Economist, and is now executive editor. The Economist Asks, her weekly Thursday interview show/podcast, has gathered hundreds of high-profile newsmakers from all around the world.

There will be a book-signing at the bookstand in front of IE University

Event with simultaneous translation from English to Spanish and vice versa

Mental illness has a history of invisibility and prejudice and, for this reason, books such as Por si las voces vuelven are important in order to progress towards dismantling the myths about disorders that affect so many people. Ángel Martín, presenter, monologue performer, actor and streamer will talk about his recovery process after two weeks in a psychiatric ward. Apart from his book, he has also created a podcast, on which well-known artists directly tackle their mental health problems. He will talk about all this at the Hay Festival Segovia closing event with Ángeles Aguilera, Non-fiction Editor at Planeta.

Event in Spanish