The splendid nature, landscape and history of the Rio de Onor area has inspired writer such as Miguel de Unamuno, Miguel Torga and José Saramago, who began his Viagem a Portugal in this Portuguese district, located on the border with Spain and twin to the Zamoran district of Rihonor de Castilla on the other side. Hay Festival Segovia takes one of its Dialogues with the Earth to this unique corner of the peninsula, one of Portugal’s Seven Wonders, in the category of Protected Towns and Areas. The event is organized within the framework of Focus on Portugal, and in partnership with the Portuguese Embassy in Spain and Turismo de Portugal. Those attending this intensive event will experience some of the attractions of this place, which has just fifty inhabitants. They will meet some of those who live here, try some traditional dishes at an open-air lunch, and find out about its traditions. The master of ceremonies will be the journalist and writer Agustín Remesal, former TVE correspondent in Portugal and author of a dozen books of history and journalism including Por tierras de Portugal. Un viaje con Unamuno, published in 2014, in which he offers an in-depth look at the great writer’s travels in our neighbouring country.
Event in Spanish and Portuguese
The Mexican psychiatrist Orlando Mondragón is the first poet aged under 30 to win the prestigious Loewe Prize. His award-winning poetry book, Cuadernos de patología humana, deals with illness and death, but it is also concerned with writing and resurrection. Mondragón, who works as a hospital psychiatrist, seeks beauty through difficult situations, often ones that seem incommunicable. He is also the author of the book Epicedio al padre, winner of the Alejandro Aura Prize for Young Poets.
Mondragón will talk to Antonio Lucas, author of, among other books, Los desengaños, for which he was awarded the Loewe Prize in 2014.
Event in Spanish
Signing stands in front of the IE University building
The Premio Nacional de Poesía Viva #LdeLírica was created by El Corte Inglés’ Ámbito Cultural and Piscifactoría Laboratorio de Creación, with Gonzalo Escarpa as director. It was born in 2019 with the aim of tracking national poetic talent. The call for entries starts on Instagram and crosses social media as an “active presence” through its eliminatory rounds, where the public see the finalists’ work in various Ámbito Cultural spaces (in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Santander and Las Palmas). The award ceremony of the fourth edition, whose winner will be announced on 10 September, will be held at Hay Festival Segovia with the poet Luis Alberto de Cuenca, Ajo Micropoetess and previous winner, the young Cadiz-born Marta Vicente Antolín. Gonzalo Escarpa will present the event.
Event in Spanish
Thirteen editions of this event have combined poetry with the beauty of the Romeral de San Marcos, the splendid garden that the landscape architect Leandro Silva left as a legacy to the city of Segovia and which every year opens for the Hay Festival to take in the best poetry of all time. On this occasion, participants will read their own poems or those of their favourite authors. With Orlando Mondragón, winner of the Fundación Loewe International Poetry Award, Japanesse ambassadors, Kenji and Patricia Hiramatsu; Carlos Hernández-La Hoz, cultural advisor; Belén Ferrier, artisan, Hanan Issa, writer, poet and artist from Wales and 2022/23 Cymrawd Rhyngwladol Hay Festival / Hay Festival International Fellow, Julia Casaravilla, owner of the Garden Romeral de San Marcos, the MP of the Congress of Deputies of Spain José Luis Aceves and Caroline Michel, president of Hay Festivals.
The writer José Felix Valdivieso will be the master of ceremonies for another year.
Readings in English, Spanish, Japanese and French.
If it rains, the event will be at the same time at La Alhóndiga. Escenario Gales - Llywfan Cymru
Thirteen editions of this event have combined poetry with the beauty of the Romeral de San Marcos, the splendid garden that the landscape architect Leandro Silva left as a legacy to the city of Segovia and which every year opens for the Hay Festival to take in the best poetry of all time. On this occasion, participants will read their own poems or those of their favourite authors. This time, with a special focus on Portugal, with readings of the Portuguese ambassador Joâo Mira- Gomes, Tourism Director of Portugal María de Lurdes Vale, the cultural advisor of the Portuguese Embassy Ana Patricia Severino, the president of Banco Millennium Foundation Antonio Monteiro, the director of Calouste Gulbekian Museum, the president of Medici Foundation, Prince Lorenzo de´Medici, the journalist Javier Pérez de Albéniz and the poet Enrique Juncosa.
The writer José Félix Valdivieso returns to be the master of ceremonies.
Readings in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian
If it rains, the event will be at the same time at La Alhóndiga. Escenario Gales - Llywfan Cymru
Organized together with Portuguese Embassy in Spain and with the support of San Marcos del Romeral gardens association and Segovia City Council
Seven wines, seven poets and seven engravings will be the focus of a literary and artistic journey of the senses to Portugal. The expert hand of Maria de Lurdes Vale, Director of Tourism in Portugal, will use Portuguese wines, the words of Portugal's renowned poets, and the engravings and illustrations of Lisbon artist Manuela Crespo. She will guide us on a journey through the landscapes, villages, people and cities of each of the seven regions of the country with which Spaniards share so much. The regions represented by the wines and poets will be: Porto e Norte, José Régio; Lisbon, Fernando Pessoa; Alentejo, Florbela Espanca; Algarve, Antonio Aleixo; Açores, Natália Correia; Madeira, José Tolentino Mendonça.