Hay Festival Cartagena 2025

John Sellars (United Kingdom) is a lecturer in Philosophy at Royal Holloway and is a founding member of the Modern Stoicism organisation. He is the author of the acclaimed Lessons in Stoicism and Epicurus and the Art of Happiness. His most recent book, Aristotle: Understanding the World’s Greatest Philosopher, offers ways to understand the thought of one of the most influential individuals in the history of the West. Sellars shows how his philosophy has been and continues to be important, and how his ideas can be a part of a path towards a fuller life. In conversation with Pablo Montoya.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

Four experts on the classical world will talk to Toni Celia about the lessons we can take from that period, so far off in time, but so influential for Western culture, and whose echoes can still be heard in our legal systems, the philosophical tradition, and in the sciences and arts. Charlotte Higgins (United Kingdom), Chief Culture Writer at The Guardian, is the author of Greek Myths. A New Retelling, about the influence of ancient Greece on our times; Pablo Montoya (Colombia) is the author of Marco Aurelio y los límites del imperio which portrays the last of the five “good emperors” of Rome; and with John Sellars (United Kingdom), philosopher and the author of books such as Lessons in Stoicism, Epicurus and the Art of Happiness and now Aristotle: Understanding the World’s Greatest Philosopher.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

Greg Clark (United Kingdom) is one of the foremost international experts on urban development and globalisation. Author of many books and over 100 reports on cities, investment, innovation and leadership, Clark has worked on the challenges facing cities, and the strategies involved in their sustainability, evolution and prosperity. Global Cities: A Short History analyses the concept of the global city since antiquity, including classic metropolis such as Athens and Rome, as well as the epicentres of our globalised world such as New York, London and Singapore, while also touching on themes such as the economy, war, migration and technology. In conversation with Sergio Díaz-Granados, President of CAF.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

We celebrate two complementary spaces, the archive and the library, exploring experiences in different parts of the world: Polly Russell (United Kingdom) of the British Library, shares with us her experience of curating archives and exhibitions with a gender focus; and with Gustavo Ulcué Campo (Colombia), of the Nasa nation and expert in archives and heritage. In conversation with Adriana Martínez.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

Jon Lee Anderson (United States) is a world renowned war reporter. As a staff writer for the New Yorker, he has reported all around the globe, covering war zones, coups d'etat, natural disasters and has profiled world leaders. He is the author of many books, including the most comprehensive biography of Che Guevara, and would be presenting He decidido declararme marxista, his latest book, that compiles his most celebrated reportage. In conversation with Leonard Benardo.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

Two Afro-descendant writers, Yurieth Romero from Santa Marta and Gilbert Shang Ndi from Cameroon, will engage in a conversation with Paula Moreno Zapata, author of Soñar lo Imposible and El Poder de lo Invisible, about the essential integration of literature produced by Black people into contemporary literary canons. Yurieth Romero is the first Black writer from the Caribbean to publish a book, Las Visitantes, under the Alfaguara imprint of Penguin Random House. On the other hand, Gilbert Shang Ndi is a prominent author and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, recognized for his research on topics such as African dictatorship novels, the poetics of the body, violence in literature, visual culture, and cyber literature. In this conversation, both writers will share their work and personal perspectives, and discuss how the invisibility of Afro-descendant authors in Latin America contributes to one of the deepest roots of inequality in the region. Additionally, they will explore how the African continent has emerged in the past decade as a literary powerhouse in the global arena.

Jennifer Ackerman (United Kingdom), the author of The Genius of Birds, returns with her new book, What an Owl Knows. The tales of the world are full of owls: for different cultures it has represented wisdom, mystery, or even presages of death. Popular culture also features the owl, which appears in the Harry Potter and Winnie the Pooh stories. These birds, which are able to turn their heads a full 180°, have a very special anatomy, but why are these creatures of the night so famous? This new book is a mixture of natural history treatise, a study of behaviour, and a look at the symbolism of these extraordinary animals. In conversation with Rosie Boycott.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available

What happens when women challenge power? In conversation with Gloria Susana Esquivel, two writers explore, through fiction and non-fiction respectively, examples of cooperation among women. Txell Feixas (Spain) has been a correspondent in the Middle East, based in Beirut, for the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals and she is the author of the book Mujeres valientes, which deals with the struggles of women during the conflicts of the Middle East. She also received the 2024 National Journalism Prize for her book Aliadas. Laura Ortiz Gómez (Colombia) is the author of Indócil, a work of history that explores the “broom strike”, a popular movement that occurred in Argentina in 1907 when women, inhabitants of the conventillos of Buenos Aires, refused to pay their rent and took to the streets.

In 2025, the Hay Festival celebrates 20 years of conversations and thought in Colombia. To mark the anniversary, we have run a collaborative project in which Colombian society has helped us to put the twenty key questions for our time. We reflect on the importance of culture and literature, based on the questions: What value does fiction have for society? How can we render visible and learn from non-hegemonic narratives? What role does art play in the construction of a more peaceful, empathetic society that is aware of its challenges? With Piedad Bonnett (Colombia), Charlotte Higgins (United Kingdom), Nicola Lagioia (Italy) and Cristina Rivera Garza (Mexico) in conversation with Pilar Reyes.

Interpretation from English to Spanish available

This workshop with the cultural manager and educator Jesús Herrera Babilonia (Colombia) seeks to boost the community’s individual and collective identity by means of self-knowledge and critical reflection on their cultural roots. It will offer spaces where people can connect with their history and traditions, recognising their value as part of the construction of the territory.

Ages 6 and over

In 2025, the Hay Festival celebrates 20 years of conversations and thought in Colombia. To mark the anniversary, we have run a collaborative project in which Colombian society has helped us to put the twenty key questions for our time. We are asking ourselves more and more whether we are progressing towards equality of gender, race and class; we tackle this matter based on the following questions: How can we fight structural racism? How is it possible to guarantee that artificial intelligence does not increase existing inequalities? What can the city learn from the countryside, and vice versa? With Gioconda Belli (Nicaragua), Bocafloja (Mexico), Ochy Curiel (Dominican Republic) Colm Tóibín (Ireland) and Justin Torres (United States) in conversation with Ayisha Osori.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available