Hay Festival Segovia 2023

A new instalment of Propios y Ajenos (Our Own and Others' Works), a cycle of live poetry readings now in its 15th year as part of Hay Festival Segovia will take place in the Romeral de San Marcos, the private garden of the landscape designer and architect Leandro Silva, whose work included the restoration of the Botanical Gardens of Madrid. José Antonio Municio, an expert on the garden's history, will reveal some of its secrets.

The winner of the 35th LOEWE Poetry Prize, Reiniel Pérez Ventura, will read poems from his collection of poems Las sílabas y el cuerpo. Museologist Julia Casaravilla, poet Carlos Aganzo, UK Ambassador to Spain Hugh Elliott, ambassador of Belgium in Spain, Gerard Cockx, Hay Festivals CEO Julie Finch, writer Elia Barceló, artisan Belén Ferrier, poets Amelia Iglesias, Angélica Tanarro and Carlos Hernández-Lahoz as well as the President of the Hay Festivals Caroline Michel will read their own texts or those of their favourite poets in a stroll through the leafy corners of the Jardín Romeral de San Marcos. The readers will be led by masters of ceremony Cristina Ward and Félix Valdivieso.

Event with readings in Spanish, English and French.

We all start out from a very similar point. We are all potential geniuses; the trick is to find and bring out our potential. And what better time than childhood? In this workshop, led by the writer Arturo Torres Moreno, we will delve into the lives of Nobel Prize winners. The author will use this to get the children to explore their own dreams and prove that we are all geniuses, so let’s show it!

Event in Spanish

Paris-based Italian writer Andrea Marcolongo is an international phenomenon. A scholar of ancient Greece and Rome, in her latest book there is a thread that connects the epic of the warriors and navigators of ancient mythology with the venerable salon of the École Militaire in Paris. Marcolongo herself is a member of Les Écrivains de marine (Writers of the French Navy), a select club to which other illustrious figures such as Arturo Pérez-Reverte belong, and which has its headquarters in the 18th-century complex of buildings opposite the Eiffel Tower. Andrea Marcolongo (Milan, 1987), writer and journalist, holds a degree in Classical Literature from the University of Milan. She is the author of the literary phenomenon The Language of the Gods (2017), The Measure of Heroes (2019) and La lezione di Enea (2020). Her books have been translated into 28 languages.

She will be in conversation with Juan Cruz, a prominent Spanish writer and journalist, who has spent most of his professional career at the newspaper El País; he is currently attached to the presidency of Prensa Ibérica and writes in the media of this group. He has been awarded prizes such as the Azorín prize for novels and the National Prize for Cultural Journalism.

The event will be presented by the general director of the Banco Sabadell Foundation, Sonia Mulero.

After the event, the authors will sign copies of their books at the book stall at the entrance of IE University.

Event in Spanish.

In the shadows behind official versions of Spanish history, are countless sensational episodes, replete with carnal passions, that altered the course of events or changed them completely without ever being officially documented. In her latest book, Lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos, journalist and writer Marta Robles has travelled through the history of this country in search of all the amorous and sexual adventures that marked power relationships and secret decisions that influenced the course of events.

She talks about the intricacies of love and power with Juan José Güemes, former Minister for Employment and Health of the Madrid Region, who has chaired IE Business School's Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation since 2010.

Event in Spanish

The British Council School Ensemble is an orchestra formed by school students, teachers from the Music21 programme, and alumni who get together to enjoy musical expression. Their repertoire includes from baroque and classical pieces to popular and current ones. The school is committed to musical development, not only for the artistic results that are gained through learning, but also for the values that are acquired through teamworking, which include loyalty, challenge, flexibility, resilience, and care for one another. The British Council School is a bicultural School which contributes to the British Council’s global mission of promoting British culture and its language, as well as building connections with cultures from all around the world.

The concert program A journey through European music from the Baroque to the present day is as follows:

- Concerto for viola and orchestra, 1st and 2nd movement. G. Ph. Telemann.

Soloist Sefa Lafarga

- Concerto No. 2 for oboe and orchestra, 1st movement. A. Marcello,

Soloist: Alvaro Vaquero

- Hymn to Joy. L.V. Beethoven

- Andante for saxophone and orchestra. Raphael Villanueva.

Soloist Pablo Castaño

- Carmen Fantasy. G. Bizet

- Timelapse. M. Nyman

- Eleanor Rigby. The Beatles. Arr. R. Villanueva.

- Pirates of the Caribbean. K. Badelt

- Burn. Deep Purple

When the author delivers his or her literary work, it sets off along a tempestuous path, and sometimes the trail is lost. To what extent should a translator maintain a thread that links him or her to the writer of the text he or she is confronted with? Does it improve the work if author and translator know each other personally? Translators can be said to be firm allies of Europe’s linguistic richness, spreading diversity across national borders. Rosa Montero will talk about all this with Myriam Chirousse, the translator of her novels into French.

A native of Madrid, she studied journalism and psychology. She is the author of the novels Crónica del desamor, Te trataré como a una reina, Amado amo, Temblor, Bella y oscura, La hija del caníbal (Primavera Prize), El corazón del Tártaro, La loca de la casa (Qué Leer Prize and Grinzane Cavour Prize), Historia del Rey Transparente (Qué Leer Prize), La ridícula idea de no volver a verte and El peligro de estar cuerda. Her journalistic career has been recognised, among others, with the National Journalism Prize, the Rodríguez Santamaría Prize and the El Mundo Journalism Prize. She was awarded the Premio Nacional de las Letras in November 2017 in recognition of her career as a novelist, journalist and essayist.

The event will be moderated by Isabelle Berneron, attaché for books, ideas and media networks at the Institut Français D'Espagne.

There will be a book signing after the event.

Event in Spanish

The history of the press and journalism is a permanent exercise in tension and the search for flexibility between those who run and those who write for the media. Is a middle ground that leaves everyone satisfied possible, or are such relationships doomed to failure in the end? Nacho Cardero and Juan Soto Ivars talk about freedom in the media and how far it can be maintained without betraying principles and ideals.

Cardero, who has directed El Confidencial since 2011, is an experienced journalist who has worked in media such as El Mundo, and La Clave magazine as finance section head. He is the author of books such as Los PPijos (2004) and Los señores del ladrillo (2011). Soto Ivars is a writer and journalist who has worked in media such as El País and El Confidencial, where he has the section La trinchera cultural (The Cultural Trenches). Much of his literary production has focused on censorship and self-censorship of media and authors, with works such as Un abuelo rojo y otro abuelo facha (2016), Poscensura (2017), and Arden las redes (2017).

At the end of the event, the authors will sign copies of their books at the book stall on Calle Real.

Event in Spanish

The world of science is advancing at a rapid pace of constant discovery and technological mergers that make what was once considered impossible now possible. Carlos Franganillo, one of the most popular faces of news broadcasting in Spain, is a journalist with extensive international experience. One of his latest projects, 10,000 Days, which he directs and presents on Spanish TV Channel: La 1, is a documentary series that analyzes the changes society will face in the coming years. In this questioning about the evolution of biotechnology, he sits down with author Diego del Alcázar, whose debut novel La Genética del Tiempo (The Genetics of Time) a thriller, provides readers with a glimpse into the challenges that genetic editing presents in terms of improving human nature. This is a new facet for Diego del Alcázar, who, in his day-to-day professional life, leads the strategy of an international university.

At the end of the event, the author will sign his work at the bookstand in front of the IE University.

Event in Spanish with simultaneous translation into English

MP Jesse Norman’s witty historical novel The Winding Stair is the story of the rivalry between scholar Francis Bacon and Edward Coke, already acclaimed as the greatest lawyer of his generation. As Queen Elizabeth I is dying and James I waiting to accede, Bacon and Coke are locked in a bitter struggle for influence and power in the palaces, parliaments and royal courts. Norman, the MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire and currently Minister of State in the Department for Transport, discusses combining history and fiction to create a tale of political machinations.

Jesse Norman talks with British journalist Martin Ivens, Editor of the Times Literary Supplement and former editor of the Sunday Times.

The event will be introduced by Hugh Elliott, UK Ambassador to Spain.

At the end of the event, the author will sign his works at the book stall outside IE University.

Event with simultaneous translation from English to Spanish.

Lydia Cacho, one of today's most authoritative voices in the defence of human rights, has written Rebeldes y Libres as a plea for the freedom and rebelliousness of young Spanish women. The idea came about after a long time spent interviewing hundreds of girls under the age of eighteen in Spain on topics including their dreams, aspirations, their fears, their needs, their sexual identity. These diverse young women expressed their opinions openly and spoke candidly of they think about feminism. A writer, investigative journalist, feminist and documentary producer, she has won more than 65 international awards, including the Harold Pinter Prize (UK), the UNESCO Guillermo Cano Prize (France), the Olof Palme Award (Sweden) and the Periodistas de El Mundo (Spain). She has published nineteen books, translated into twenty languages, including Memorias de una infamia, Esclavas del poder, Sexo y amor en tiempos de crisis, #EllosHablan and Cartas de amor y rebeldía.

She will talk to the journalist and El País writer, Berna González Harbour in a conversation that forms part of the series of Hispanic American Dialogues.

At the end of the event, the authors will sign copies of their books at the book stall on Calle Real.

Event in Spanish

Culture has always been a driving force for social change, defending legacies a memories as our common heritage. At the same time, it generates identities that can serve to promote interculturality. Social achievements always come from cultural shifts and movements. Sonia Mulero and Jaime de los Santos will talk about the transformative power of culture.

Mulero, director of the Banco Sabadell Foundation, was named in 2019's Top 100 Women Leaders in the tertiary sector in Spain. She is a midwife in Concomitentes, member of the board of Fundaciones por la Ciencia (FECYT) and member of the board of #FundacionesPorElClima of the AEF. Strategic Management and Social Leadership Program at IESE, Financial and Tax Postgraduate at EADA, Psychology UOC. Higher degree Nursing. Extensive experience in the management of non-profit entities in projects related to the training of talent that promote creativity and innovation. Fulfilling the purpose of connecting, accompanying and transforming organizations and people through shared experiences and networking. She was General Director of Fundación Inlea (CSR OF Inlea Corporation, linked to Cisco Systems) and Assistant to Management at CIDOB.

De los Santos is a politician, historian and writer. He was Minister of Culture for the Madrid Region. He is a regular columnist for El Confidencial, and he published his first novel, Si te digo que lo hice, in 2022.

At the end of the event, Jaime de los Santos will sign copies of her books at the book stall on Calle Real.

Event in Spanish

Elizabeth II was not predisposed to rule, any more than her father and grandfather were. But she took up the reins of an empire and led her people through decades that transformed society, and in which she had to deal with events as significant as her uncle's abdication and war, as well as romance, danger, tragedy and triumph. Robert Hardman reflects on her extraordinary life and its cultural impact, in conversation with Hugh Elliott, UK Ambassador to Spain.

Hardman is a renowned author, royal analyst and filmmaker, who has covered the British monarchy for three decades. He is the author of the film and book Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work, as well as Her Majesty and Queen of the World and Life of a Queen. Elizabeth II 1926-2022. He writes for the Daily Mail newspaper in London.

The event will be introduced by Caroline Michel, a leading figure in the British cultural world and global President of the Hay Festivals.

At the end of the event, the author will sign his works at the book stall outside IE University.

With simultaneous translation from English to Spanish and vice versa.

Carlos Zanón and Ray Loriga are multifaceted writers who have worked with novels, film scripts, criticism, press articles, and children's literature. Both have written exceptional works in genres such as Zanón’s noir work, or Loriga’s minimalist realism. Their latest novels treat, from different angles, love, the loss of youth, illness, suicide, how to face death and the loss of illusion. Either from the Suicide Assistance Center or in the bizarre route of three musicians through campsites on the Mediterranean coast, the protagonists of both authors are escaping towards the end. Both draw on what pop culture has nurtured them to get on with life and stay alive. And both resolve the leap into the void, each one as their literary world leadas them to accept: credible, original, hopeful and deeply personal. They will discuss this in a conversation moderated by El Mundo journalist Luis Alemany.

Zanón has published some twenty works, including Tarde, mal y nunca (2009), Yo fui Johnny Thunders (2014, Hammet Award) Taxi (2017), or Love Song (2022), and the articles compilation Cien formas de romper un glaciar (2023).Loriga, writer, screenwriter and film director, has published works such as Héroes (1993), Rendición (2017, Alfaguara Novel Prize) and Cualquier verano es un final (2023).

At the end of the event, the authors will sign copies of their books at the book stall at the main entrance of IE University.

Event in Spanish

Print journalism is going through a phase of ongoing change and reinvention. The capacity of culture to reinvent ideas and contribute to business has led to the creation of ABC Cultural Premium, the first initiative that allows you to become a digital subscriber to just the cultural section of a daily newspaper. The Culture section is one of the mainstays of ABC's core offer, which is why it has created this option that offers access to the supplement and much more content. The novelist and journalist Karina Sainz Borgo, currently a columnist for ABC and author of two successful novels (the most recent being El tercer país), and the columnist and writer José Peláez and historian, journalist, and co-founder of Zendalibros.com and the Zenda-Edhasa publishing house, María José Solano. The event will be moderated by the director of ABC Cultural, Jesús García Calero.

At the end of the event, the authors will sign copies of their books at the book stall at the entrance of the IE University.

Event in Spanish

Journalists and writers from El País Juan Carlos Galindo and Berna González Harbour talk about literature in this event and, in particular, about the cities that act as settings in crime fiction. González Harbor gave Madrid the crime novel that the city had been waiting for with Verano en rojo (Destino ), now adapted for cinema. Thus began the series of the curator María Ruiz, who travels between the capital and Santander, and with which the author has won the Dashiell Hammett Award of the Gijón Black Week in 2020. Galindo has framed Hontoria, his debut in fiction (Salamandra), in Segovia, the city where he was born and grew up.

At the end of the event, the authors will sign copies of their books at the book stall on Calle Real.

Event in Spanish

Join us for a dynamic conversation about technology and creativity between two global voices John Maeda and Ikhlaq Sidhu. In this engaging dialogue, Maeda, renowned artist and designer, author of several books including How to Speak Machine: Computational Thinking for the Rest of Us and Sidhu, prominent computer engineer, chief scientist, and author of Engineering Innovation: A Practical Guide to Creating Something New, will bring together their expertise to explore the limitless possibilities that occur when art, technology and innovation meet.

After the event, there will be a book signing at the book stall at the main entrance of the IE University

Event in English with simultaneous translation to Spanish

Film director, producer and screenwriter Kike Maíllo is currently shooting his latest film in Barcelona. Winner of the Goya Award for Best New Director for Eva (2011), he already has a long career of short movies and feature films behind him. For his new project, he has decided to work with the diplomat and cultural manager Santiago Herrero, for whom he has reserved an acting role. Herrero has led the cultural management of Acción Cultural Española, AC/E and now of AECID. Both will talk about what their likes, about cinema, new productions and the panorama of the Spanish film sector.

Event in Spanish

Valerie Miles, writer, translator and editor of Granta, is the curator of the Correspondence section of the magazine Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos in which two writers explore the epistolary form and its function as a philosophical parenthesis in everyday life: a remote conversation that is projected in the imagination, where the interior and sequential voice invites us to enter a strange intimacy. Miguel Ángel Hérnandez is the author of award-winning novels such as El dolor de los demás and Anoxia, as well as an art historian and Berta Ares, a journalist and cultural researcher, author of Joseph Roth, Legacy and Testament.

Event in spanish

Does digital cultural content in Spanish travel? This is the theme presented by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) in the Focus of the AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report (AC/E Yearbook of Digital Culture 2023). Thanks to an exhaustive study, it presents the panorama of digital cultural content in Spanish; the most popular topics, its export to other markets and its transformation into other formats: including music, books, audiobooks, films, TV series, podcasts, video games, and plays.

The AC/E Digital Culture Yearbook is the result of internal reflection begun in 2013 by Acción Cultural Española on how to incorporate the digital dimension into its objectives and support the digitisation of the cultural sector. The publication reflects the impact that the internet is having on our society; books that become films, podcasts that become books, video games that emerge as TV series. In this session, which will be attended by podcaster Molo Cebrían, —the creator of the most listened to psychology podcast in Spanish in the world, Entiende tu mente—, will analyse how the contents of the cultural industries are transformed into multiple formats and travel around the world. The event will be moderated by Javier Celaya.

Event in Spanish

The alternatives that life gives us is to be sane and die of boredom or to be away with the fairies taking us closer to madness, with all its woes and freedoms. In her latest work, El peligro de estar cuerda, the writer Rosa Montero reflects, in a profound yet amusing way, on what it means to be different, to think and act without rules, and how close she came to losing her mind. She will do so in conversation with Ana Gavín, Director of Editorial Relations at Grupo Planeta.

Montero, a native of Madrid, studied Journalism and Psychology. She is the author, of novels including Crónica del desamor, Te trataré como a una reina, Amado amo, Temblor, Bella y oscura, La hija del caníbal, El corazón del Tártaro, La loca de la casa (winner of the Qué Leer and Grinzane Cavour awards), Historia del Rey Transparente (Qué Leer award), La ridícula idea de no volver a verte and El peligro de estar cuerda. Her journalistic career has been recognised by the National Journalism Prize, the Rodríguez Santamaría Prize and the El Mundo Journalism Prize, among others. In November 2017 she was awarded the Premio Nacional de las Letras in recognition of her career as a novelist, journalist and essayist.

At the end of the event, the author will sign copies of her books at the book stall on Calle Real.

Event in Spanish