Hay Festival Cartagena 2023

Welcome to the Hay Festival Cartagena de Indias 2023 programme, to be held from 26 to 29 January. In this page you can find the events in the general programme as well as Hay Joven activities tor university audiences, Hay Comunitario sessions which will take place in different areas of Cartagena, Reading Clubs and Talento Editorial.

The tickets of the general programme and reading clubs are on sale for in person events. If you wish to register to see the live streaming of events, please select the option "Register to watch online" when this option is available. Hay Joven, Hay Comunitario and Talento Editorial are 100% in person and free of charge.

If you have any issues regarding the payment of your tickets, please contact us at tickets@hayfestival.org or at +57 317 516 55 13.

If you are a students a wish to request free tickets, you can write to us at estudiantes@hayfestival.com.

If you have any general questions, you can find us at contacto@hayfestival.org.

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Event HC3

Carmen Alvarado

 Biblioteca Encarnación Tovar, La Boquilla
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Carmen Alvarado works in the world of culture, libraries and books. She has also written books featuring characters such as Tío Tigre (Uncle Tiger) and Tío Conejo (Uncle Rabbit) that come from oral tradition, and using them has tacked issues we find in daily life, such as friendship, love and death.



Ages 6 to 10
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Carmen Alvarado

Event HJ3

Daniella Sánchez Russo in conversation with Esteban Vega

Vigilia

 Universidad de Cartagena, Sala de Lectura Biblioteca Fernández de Madrid (Claustro de San Agustín)
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The Barranquilla writer and academic, Daniella Sánchez Russo presents Vigilia, a story constructed using the recollections of two women from the opposite poles of the social scale who discover the world they have in common, the one that underlies their everyday lives. Irene, a woman with newborn twins and a failing marriage, revisits a past with its memories of her sickly brother and the bloody violence of armed groups, in a house where her most honest human connection is with her employee, Luzmila. At this event, the author will talk about this, her first novel, in conversation with Esteban Vega.


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Event 2

Laura Restrepo in conversation with Mábel Lara

 Teatro Adolfo Mejía
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The Colombian writer and journalist, Laura Restrepo, one of Latin America’s most preeminent authors, presents Canción de antiguos amantes, a work of fiction based on the journeys she undertook with Médicins Sans Frontières in the Yemen, Ethiopia and the Somali border area: a magical region that was once the Kingdom of Sheba. This mythical land is used by Restrepo as the setting for two parallel love stories that shift between the real, the biblical and fantasy; and they have in common female figures whose capacity for resilience is stronger than the incidents that fate has in store for them. Laura Restrepo has won awards such as the 2004 Alfaguara Prize and the 2006 Grinzane Cavour Prize for her novel Delirium, which brought her to international attention. On this occasion, she will talk about her latest novel with the journalist Mábel Lara.
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Event 9

Margarita García Robayo and Olga Montero Rose in conversation with Eva Orúe

The happy family

 Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española (patio)
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Two writers present their latest novels, whose meticulous prose is employed to deal with the subject of the family, a space that encompasses all of human complexity. With Margarita García Robayo (Colombia), the author of La encomienda, the story of a character who lives far from her family and to whom her sister sends “encomiendas”, packages with gifts, drawings and objects that keep up the family link over the distance. It is a story that speaks of memory, fears, loneliness and family relationships; and with Olga Montero Rose (Peru), the author of Cortejo, which tells the story of Simona, a woman in her mid-40s who has just lost her mother, one of the pillars of her life, and who, around this time, meets a woman who makes her question many of the certainties she once held. The story evolves through the sessions Simona attends weekly with her analyst, which involve examining her experiences of childhood, bereavement, desire and the birth of a new love. In conversation with Eva Orúe.
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Event 13

Giovanna Giordano in conversation with Juan Esteban Constaín

 Teatro Adolfo Mejía
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At this event, the Italian writer Giovanna Giordano will present a novel recently published in Spanish: Un vuelo mágico. Inspired by the true story of her grandfather, this is a beautiful fable with hints of fantasy about it, in which Giulio Giamò, a young Italian pilot, is sent to Abyssinia to give to King Haile Selassie a declaration of war signed by Mussolini. During the journey, Giamò will encounter a challenging new view of the world. This enchanting and dreamlike story is an expression of the writer’s view that “if a man picks up a book, he puts down a gun”. In conversation with Juan Esteban Constaín.

Simultaneous interpreting from Italian to Spanish available

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Event 14

Juan Cárdenas and Daniel Ferreira in conversation with Margarita Valencia

Histories of the many Colombias

 Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española (Salón del Rey)
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Two perspectives, one from fiction and another from the human and territorial geography of Colombia, of a country that is many countries in one and with a story that needs to be told again and again in order to better understand it. Juan Cárdenas (Colombia), the author of Ornamento and Elástico de sombra, among many other books, presents Peregrino transparente, a novel that recreates the Peregrinación de Alpha, a book published in Colombia in the 19th century as a kind of travelogue of the Comisión Corográfica scientific expedition through the different provinces of the country’s north and centre, which at times reads like an adventure novel, and which seeks to describe Colombia’s human geography, creating maps and locating resources. Daniel Ferreira (Colombia), is the author, among other books, of Viaje al interior de una gota de sangre and El año del sol negro, presents Recuerdos del río volador, the story of Alejandro Plata, a railway inspector at the time of the oil boom who disappears, and is searched for by his family and his lover. This gives rise to a story that deals with a historical moment, the many violences that devastate the territory, and the terrible fact of people who disappear. In conversation with Margarita Valencia.
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Event HC7

María del Mar Ramón

 Institución Educativa 14 de Febrero, El Pozón
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The Colombian author María del Mar Ramón has lived in Argentina since 2012 and currently works for radio and on the creation of audio-visual content. In her work as a writer and content creator, her main interest is feminism and related matters, such as pleasure, violence and liberties. She is the co-founder of the Argentinean NGO Red de Mujeres and coordinates the Fanáticas de los Boliches project, which aims to raise gender awareness in nightlife venues. She has written for media outlets such as Vice and Playboy and has published the book Tirar y vivir sin culpa: El placer es feminista, which relates her experiences regarding sexuality and the feeling of guilt that arises when living in a society that constantly judges women. María del Mar Ramón offers a space for talking to young women about their bodies and their desires, without restrictions, fears or shame, where they can think about how to live fully and at liberty. Her latest work is the novel ​​La manada, which explores the intricacies of group attacks. A city and a society that could be anywhere in Latin America; this is the setting for an exploration of masculinity. The book examines the motivations, fears and frustrations of a group of young men who will live the rest of their days knowing they are responsible for a life that is not their own. Can you escape the weight of a body for the rest of your days?


Ages 13 to 19
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María del Mar Ramón

Event HJ7

Alia Trabucco in conversation with Silvia Valero

Limpia

 Universidad de Cartagena, Salón Eréndira (Claustro de la Merced)
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Alia Trabucco, a graduate of Law from the University of Chile, with a Master’s in Creative Writing from New York University and a doctorate in Hispano-American Literature from University College, London, is the author of the novel La resta (shortlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize) and of the non-fiction Las homicidas (2019). Her new novel is entitled Limpia. In conversation with Silvia Valero.
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Event TE1

Diego Aristizábal, Nubia Macías and Eva Orúe in conversation with Ingrid Bejerman

Book fairs: culture, industry and social event

 Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española (Salón Mutis)
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Fairs hold a central place in the book trade and the minds of those who work in the industry. We talk about their past, present and, above all, their future. With Diego Aristizábal (Colombia), social communicator, cultural manager and journalist; Eva Orúe (Spain), Director of the Madrid Book Fair; and Nubia Macías (Mexico), journalist and cultural manager, in conversation with Ingrid Bejerman.
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Event 16

Bernardine Evaristo in conversation with Aurora Vergara

 Centro de Convenciones (Auditorio Getsemaní)
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In 2019, Bernardine Evaristo (United Kingdom) made history for being the first black woman to win the prestigious Booker Prize, with her novel Girl, Woman, Other. Her most recent work of fiction, Blonde Roots, a satirical novel that reimagines history as we know it: the great powers of Africa are in charge of the transatlantic slave trade, and those enslaved are white. With prowerful prose and a sharp sense of humour, Evaristo leads us to question the bases of society as we know it with this bold alternative tale of our past. At this event, she will talk to Aurora Vergara about her work and her life.

Simultaneous interpreting from English to Spanish available

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Event HJ8

Pedro Badrán in conversation with Lázaro Valdelamar Sarabia

Crímenes de provincia

 Universidad de Cartagena, Aula Máxima de Derecho (Claustro de San Agustín)
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The writer from Magangué (Colombia) presents his most recent novel, Crímenes de provincia. Pedro Badrán has received the National Novella Award (2000) for El día de la mudanza and other awards for titles such as Un cadáver en la mesa es mala educación and La pasión de Policarpa. He is the author of the books of short stories El lugar difícil, Simulacros de amor, Hotel Bellavista y otros cuentos del mar, Manual de superación personal y otros cuentos and Margarita entre cerdos, and the novel El hombre de la cámara mágica. In conversation with Lázaro Valdelamar Sarabia.
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Event HJ9

Catalina Cortés Severino and Laura Quintana Porras in conversation with Winston Morales Chavarro

Those voracious emotions: A correspondence

 Universidad de Cartagena, Sala de Lectura Biblioteca Fernández de Madrid (Claustro de San Agustín)
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Two Colombian thinkers, Catalina Cortés Severino and Laura Quintana, one a philosopher, the other an anthropologist, and both writers, reflect on the emotions in their recent and original book Esos afectos voraces: Una correspondencia, in which they use the epistolary form to exchange thoughts, drawing on the knowledge of their own disciplines in order to examine human experiences. A look at the emotions and how they structure and define experience (from the personal to the collective) and our own culture. In conversation with Winston Morales Chavarro.
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Event TE2

Author, publisher: a return journey

Lluïsa Matarrodona and Margarita García Robayo in conversation with Daniella Sánchez Russo and Juan David Correa, moderated by Felipe Restrepo Pombo

 Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española (Salón Mutis)
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Publishing has never been so easy: there are many companies that will print your book for a fee, eliminating the role of editor as filter and intermediary between the author and the reader, creating a false appearance of direct accessibility between the two parties. Publishing has never been so difficult: there are more authors and manuscripts and less awareness of what the role of an Editor (with a capital E) really is. The writers Margarita García Robayo and Daniella Sánchez Russo will talk to Lluïsa Matarrodona (Anagrama Publishing) and Juan David Correa (Planeta Publishing), with Felipe Restrepo Pombo as moderator.
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Event CL1

Book club with Olga Montero Rose

 Casa Hay (Claustro de las Ánimas, Centro de Convenciones)
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A look at the work of our favourite writers through the more intimate format of the book club, together with Ana María Aponte. Olga Montero Rose (Peru) is the author of Cortejo, a novel that tells the story of Simona, a woman in her mid-40s who has just lost her mother, one of the pillars of her life, and who, around this time, meets a woman who makes her question many of the certainties she once held. The story evolves through the sessions Simona attends weekly with her analyst, which involve examining her experiences of childhood, bereavement, desire and the birth of a new love.



This event has taken place

Event 25

Margarita García Robayo, Teresita Goyeneche and Daniella Sánchez Russo in conversation with David Lara

Cartagena and Barranquilla, for commemoration and celebration

 Hotel Sofitel, Salón Santa Clara
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Two Caribbean cities and major players in the history of Colombia. Cities of contrasts, with inequalities, traditions and modernity; cities that have welcomed migrants and refugees, which have hosted legendary festivities, and that have also been the protagonists of works of literature. The Cartagena writers Margarita García Robayo (whose most recent books are La encomienda and El sonido de las olas) and Teresita Goyeneche (who presents her first work, La personalidad de los pelícanos), and the Barranquilla author Daniella Sánchez Russo (with her literary debut, Vigilia), talk about their home towns, their work and the stories that live in and are lived in by these cities. In conversation with David Lara.
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Event TE3

The Language Map

Andrés Ramírez, Sebastián Estrada, Johann Page and Pilar Reyes in conversation with Lluïsa Matarrodona

 Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española (Salón Mutis)
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The Language Map is an international collection published by Penguin Random House. It began in 2015 and it aims to make outstanding works from Spanish-language literature available in different countries (principally Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico, but also Spain and the United States). The Language Map could be described as a window through which the international literary scene can look in order to find out more about the best literature in Spanish. Lluïsa Matarrodona (Spain) will talk to Andrés Ramírez (Mexico), Editorial Manager of the Literary and Pocket Book Department at Penguin Random House México; Sebastián Estrada, Editorial Manager of Penguin Random House Colombia; Johann Page, Editorial Manager of Penguin Random House Perú; and Pilar Reyes (Colombia), Editorial Manager of Alfaguara, Taurus and Academic Publications at Penguin Random House.
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Event 28

Jean-Baptiste del Amo in conversation with Juan Manuel Ruiz

 Teatro Adolfo Mejía
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The transmission of violence and trauma between generations is the foundation for the latest novel by the French writer Jean-Baptiste del Amo. Le fils de l’homme is the story of a man who comes back to his partner and his son after a long absence and who takes them to live in a remote mountain home, as his father once did with him. But the mother and son soon feel claustrophobic under the control of a father tormented by his own relationship with his parent. Speaking to Juan Mauel Ruiz, the author will talk about how this novel came about, and about some of his themes, such as the transmission of violence within a family and man’s domination of nature.

Simultaneous interpreting from French to Spanish available

This event has taken place

Event 29

Lucía Lijtmaer in conversation with Laura Restrepo

Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos

 Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española (patio)
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Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos aims to promote knowledge and exchange among writers of different generations and nationalities, united by a single language and a literary tradition enriched by authors of diverse origins. The project consists of having an established author select a younger one on the other side of the Atlantic for conversations. In this case, the renowned writer Laura Restrepo (Colombia) will talk to the fiction writer and communicator Lucía Lijtmaer (Spain/Argentina), author of the novel Cauterio. A dialogue that builds bridges between different generations and countries, with a single literary heritage, the Spanish-language tradition, that acts as a shared language.
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Event 30

Catalina Cortés Severino and Laura Quintana Porras in conversation with Andrea Díaz Cardona

Correspondence on the emotions

 Hotel Sofitel, Salón Santa Clara
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Two Colombian thinkers, Catalina Cortés Severino y Laura Quintana Porras, one an anthropologist, the other a philosopher, and both writers, reflect on the emotions in their recent and original book Esos afectos voraces: Una correspondencia, in which they use the epistolary form to exchange thoughts, drawing on the knowledge of their own disciplines in order to examine human experiences. A look at the emotions and how they structure and define experience (from the personal to the collective) and our own culture. In conversation with the BBC Mundo journalist, Andrea Díaz Cardona.

This event has taken place

Event CL3

Book club with Andrés Felipe Solano

 Casa Hay (Claustro de las Ánimas, Centro de Convenciones)
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A look at the work of our favourite writers through the more intimate format of the book club, together with David Lara. Andrés Felipe Solano (Colombia) is a writer, essayist and author of books including the novels Los hermanos Cuervo, Cementerios de neón and Sálvame, Joe Louis; of the work of journalism Salario mínimo: Vivir con nada, and also of Corea, apuntes desde la cuerda floja, a book that won the Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana Prize in 2016. On this occasion he will talk about his new book, Gloria.


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sura
RCN
Bancolombia