Hay Festival Segovia 2008

The work of the inimitable multidisciplinary artist Hubertus von Hohenlohe brings us closer to the pulse of contemporary society with extreme precision. Not only because his usual setting is the bustling city of the 21st century, but because his pieces reveal a complex layering of strata that blend reality and fiction, public space and privacy, vanity and distinction; in any case, it helps us understand the beauty and potential of our surroundings. His recognizable self-portraits in urban settings foreshadow the narcissism that floods social media; he anticipated the rise of the smartphone selfie, a form of photography as an experience of place that has accelerated thanks to ubiquitous immediacy. Always with his camera around his neck, the artist acts as a flâneur who seeks and at the same time finds himself in the reflections of the street.

Von Hohenlohe will open his exhibition, Fama everybody, alongside Sema D'Acosta, the exhibition’s curator and a leading figure in the field of photography in Spain; he has curated some of the most significant photography exhibitions in recent years.

The exhibition will run from 8 to 30 September

Event in Spanish

The Manila Shawl, and the creation of a collective art object or exhibition, can provide an in-depth look at this fashion accessory, a component of regional costumes, and a muse for Hispanic art and craftsmanship. The Manila shawl has an Asian form, Hispanic-American color and exuberance, and a Spanish soul; a transition from one culture to another, until it becomes a collective object of undeniable beauty. The exhibition consists mainly of Verónica Durán Castello’s collection of Manila shawls, who has spent 25 years gathering pieces that are unique in their design, embroidery, and state of preservation. It will also feature shawls belonging to well-known figures (such as Imperio Argentina, Lolita Flores, Olga Ramos, and Infanta Elena de Borbón) as well as objects like the boxes that hold the Manila shawls—exceptional pieces due to their beauty and artistic and symbolic content.

The first shawls arrived starting in 1565, when Miguel López de Legazpi, commanding the Nao San Pedro, discovered the maritime route that crossed the Pacific Ocean from east to west, known as the Manila Galleon Route. It departed from Manila loaded with porcelain, jade, screens, lacquerware, silk, and Manila shawls, and after passing through Mexico, set course for Seville or Cadiz.

The exhibition will be on view from September 8 to 30

Event in Spanish

The intruder is the migrant whom no one has called, who risks his life in search of a better future, who walks mile after mile for months, sometimes years, to reach a land he believes holds opportunities. Sometimes he crosses the sea in the worst conditions. Sometimes they scale walls that are like fortresses. They overcome all their fears in the hope of finding a future for themselves and for the family they surely left behind.

On this occasion, painting, sculpture, and music come together to make us think about them. They have arrived. Who are they, what do they want from me, what do they bring me, what will they do to me, how will their presence, their culture, their drive affect me?

The relationship between Guillem Salas’s nude sculptures, Patricia Azcárate’s pictorial fields, and Alfonso Gargallo’s musical narrative begins with mistrust: at first, the figures hide, feeling uncomfortable, unsure of where to stand, anxiously searching for a place where they can be understood; they wander back and forth without finding their place; until a dialogue emerges: figures and paintings speak to one another, listen to one another, and transform.

The exhibition will be on view from September 8 to 13

Event in Spanish

The ongoing technological revolution, spurred on by the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has forever changed journalism. The screen has established itself as the primary medium for providing audiences with a massive, unceasing flow of news. Newsrooms have become veritable operations centers where information arriving through every conceivable medium is monitored, processed, and distributed. But in this dense forest of information, threatened by algorithmic stimuli, memes, and fake news, there is a greater need than ever for the kind of transparency that only a human presence can provide: journalists with names and surnames who appear before the public to explain themselves.

That is why, for the second year in a row, the fictional newspaper Europa Tribune will open its newsroom to offer a live look at how a news outlet’s front page is decided. Martin Dahms, correspondent for the Frankfurter Rundschau and the Stuttgarter Zeitung; Helena de Bertodano, reporter for The Sunday Times; and Miquel Molina, deputy editor of La Vanguardia, will gather at the Fundación Telefónica Space in Madrid to discuss which stories deserve to appear on the front pages of the print and online editions of this utopian European newspaper. What will be the most relevant news story of the day? What photo should accompany it? Nuria García Arenas, design editor-in-chief at La Vanguardia, will be responsible for capturing this debate on paper. This exercise in journalistic striptease will be presented by Sheila Cremaschi, director of the Hay Festival Spain, member of the jury for the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Literature, and recipient of the 2026 British Council UK-Spain Award for Lifetime Achievement in Bridging Cultures, and Sonia Mulero, general director of the Banco Sabadell Foundation and one of Spain’s top 100 women leaders.

Event in Spanish

The Minimal Autobiographies Workshop led by Beltrán Gambier at the Segovia Correctional Facility is a Hay Festival Segovia staple, renewed each year. Gambier was the founder and editor of the magazine Intramuros, which specializes in the genre. Now in its third decade, the publication boasts a roster of prestigious contributors, including Nobel Prize in Literature laureates such as Günter Grass, Herta Müller, and Mo Yan. Gambier is also a lawyer and the author of several legal texts, including one dedicated to prison administrative law. The workshop will feature Gervasio Posadas, a writer, educator, and cultural manager who has directed El Corte Inglés’ Ámbito Cultural since 2018. He is the author of several novels, including Hitler’s Mentalist and ¡The Failure of My Success.

A great opportunity for inmates to participate in a high-level literary activity, in which they will be asked to write an autobiographical excerpt.

Event in Spanish

The Stringer, the acclaimed documentary directed by Bao Nguyen and produced by award-winning photojournalist Gary Knight, explores the hidden world behind some of the most influential images in modern war journalism. Through a fascinating investigation into the origins of a photograph that helped shape the world’s perception of one of the most defining events of the late 20th century, the Vietnam War, the film raises unsettling questions about authorship, truth, recognition and the ethics of journalism.

The screening will be introduced by Gary Knight and Borja Santos Porras, Vice-Dean of the IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs, who will provide context for the film and its relevance in an era of controversial narratives, information warfare and rapidly evolving media ecosystems.

A thought-provoking film aimed not only at aspiring journalists, but also at students and professionals in international relations, politics, diplomacy and global governance.

Event in English

The pursuit of beauty in architecture and the creation of masterpieces have historically been associated with the solitary work of the great individual genius. However, new interpretations of authorship have brought to light the creative reality of teamwork and challenged some of the most deeply entrenched narratives of modern architecture.

Laura Martínez de Guereñu, architect, lecturer at IE University and author of Lilly Reich in Barcelona, will discuss, in conversation with Niklas Maak, architect, writer and art and architecture editor at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the context and process through which Lilly Reich and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created the legendary Barcelona Pavilion in 1929, known as the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion since its reconstruction in 1986. The conversation will address the reasons why Lilly Reich’s creative contribution was sidelined for decades and will question whether it is legitimate to suggest that today the work could be called the Mies van der Rohe / Lilly Reich Pavilion.

The book Lilly Reich in Barcelona: The Materialization of a Neglected Authorship (Finalist for the 2026 FAD Thought and Criticism Award) analyses this historiographical oversight and shows how the rediscovery of Lilly Reich has transformed our understanding of architectural masterpieces, creative collaboration and the very nature of authorship.

At the end of the event, the authors will sign copies of his books

Event in English

At 22 years old, Nelio Biedermann is able to weave together his aristocratic family past and his middle-class present with astonishing sincerity to tell the truth and veil the most disturbing episodes. A time he has revisited, one in which majestic palaces, the beauty of works of art, and the death and destruction that accompanied the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire—leaving deep scars on his family—are intertwined. Biedermann, a Swiss national, has poured all these experiences into a book that has taken Germany by storm under the title Lázár. Critics have highlighted its mystical tone and a classical prose style unexpected in such a young author, to the point that some are already placing him in the tradition of Thomas Mann. In conversation with philologist and cultural expert Antonia Blau. Moderated by the journalist Irene Hernández Velasco.

Following the event, the author will sign copies of his book

Event in German, with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish

Europe is undergoing a period of profound redefinition. Amid rapid technological change, geopolitical tensions, and the transformation of liberal democracies, fundamental questions are resurfacing about identity, education, culture, and the very meaning of the European project. What values can sustain Europe today? How is the technological revolution shaping the way we think, learn, and live together? What remains of the European humanist ideal in an era marked by uncertainty and fragmentation? Peter Sloterdijk —undoubtedly one of the great living philosophers whose controversial views fuel essential debates— will engage in a dialogue with Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño, president of IE University, on the major intellectual and cultural challenges of our time.

The discussion will begin with The Continent Without Qualities, Sloterdijk’s latest essay, a lucid reflection on Europe’s loss of political and spiritual horizon and on the tensions between technology, culture, and democracy in the 21st century. In the second part, three students from IE University’s European Union Club will join the conversation in an exercise in intergenerational dialogue that will highlight the voices of Young people and their role in building a shared future.

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish

Multidisciplinary artist Olana Light presents the exhibition Searching for a Place to Belong at IE Creative Campus Segovia, a photographic project that reflects on women’s relationship with nature, the environment and the meaning of being part of it. Through a series of evocative self-portraits incorporating natural materials and textures, the artist blurs the boundaries between the body and the landscape, inviting us to slow down and reflect on our place in the world. She will open her exhibition alongside Cristina Ward, Head of Arts at the British Council in Spain.

The exhibition will be accompanied by elements from The Birch Tree Family, a captivating performance that Light will stage on several occasions during the festival. She will become a living sculpture of a birch tree walking through the streets of Segovia, rooted yet wandering. The Birch Tree Family is a celebration of the fragility of life and a silent call to care for the planet around us.

Searching for a Place to Belong exhibition:

September 5 to September 20.
Location: IE University Creative Campus - Palacio de Mansilla. Pl la Trinidad. 40001 Segovia

The Birch Tree Family performances:

Friday 11 at 11:00 – Plaza Mayor de Segovia

Saturday 12 at 11:00 and 18:00h - IE University Creative Campus

Award-winning photojournalist Gary Knight joins international correspondent Anna Bosch to discuss The Stringer, the acclaimed Netflix documentary that shines a light on the unsung heroes behind frontline journalism. Taking the film as a starting point, the conversation will explore broader questions about how conflicts are documented, interpreted and communicated to global audiences.

Moderated by Borja Santos Porras, Vice-Dean of the IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs, this session will examine the intersection between journalism, geopolitics and public understanding. How do images and narratives influence international perceptions of war and crisis? Who decides which stories are told and which voices are heard? What responsibilities do journalists, editors, policymakers and citizens share in an era of disinformation, conflicting narratives and information warfare?

Event in English

Juan Carlos Monroy, Segovia’s Councillor for Culture; Romina Marta Canna and Maxon Higbee, lecturers at the IE School of Architecture & Design, together with some of the students from Design Studio 5, will present the projects they have completed and discuss the capacity of architecture and design to temporarily activate and transform public space through cultural events.

Event in Spanish

Acclaimed novelist Jessica Andrews joins Cristina Ward, Head of Arts at British Council Spain, for an in-depth discussion of her work, exploring the powerful themes that run through her writing. Andrews’ debut Saltwater, winner of the Portico Prize, and her second novel Milk Teeth, shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Encore Award, both examine the intersections of identity, social class, gender and the body with striking sensitivity and precision.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Andrews will reflect on how these cross-cutting concerns shape her fiction, as well as tracing her journey to becoming a writer. From early influences to her emergence as one of the most distinctive voices of her generation, the discussion will offer insight into her creative process and the evolving concerns of her work.

After the event, the author will be signing copies of her books

Event in English

Javier Sierra, writer and journalist; Vicente Alcañiz, Education Inspector at the Regional Ministry of Education of the Community of Madrid; and Mar Domínguez, director of the Colpisa news agency will reflect on the challenges reading face. In conversation with Carme Riera, writer, deputy director of the RAE and president of CEDRO, they will address how reading habits have changed, the impact of social media and new sources of information. In addition, there will be a discussion on the benefits of reading and the importance of education as a key tool for promoting respect for copyright and combating piracy through awareness-raising. And how reading makes us reflect on beauty and pain, emotion, knowledge and worlds that are sometimes inaccessible were it not for books.

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in Spanish

For over three decades, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren have challenged the boundaries between fashion and art, establishing Viktor & Rolf as one of the most innovative and influential names in contemporary fashion. Internationally renowned for their conceptual haute couture, their creations combine glamour, irony and experimentation to challenge the conventions of beauty, identity and luxury.

In this conversation, the brand’s founders will trace the evolution of Viktor & Rolf, from their beginnings after graduating from the Arnhem Academy of Art and Design to their establishment as global icons of contemporary creativity. Together with Benedetta Poletti, Editorial Director of Hearst Spain and Editor-in-Chief of ELLE Spain, and Inés Quezada, designer and Academic Director of the Bachelor in Fashion at IE University, they will reflect on the milestones that have marked their career, the relationship between fashion, art and the media, and the role of creativity in a constantly changing cultural context.

Event in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish

What happens when we step away from the life we are expected to live and begin searching for the life we truly want? This is the question at the heart of Hwang Bo-Reum’s internationally acclaimed novel Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, a publishing phenomenon that has captivated readers around the world with its warmth, wisdom and quiet humanity.

In conversation with Catalina Tejero, Dean of IE School of Arts & Humanities, Hwang reflects on the themes that have made her work resonate across cultures: burnout, loneliness, friendship, community, and the healing power of books. Set in a small bookshop in a Seoul neighbourhood, her novel follows people who have lost their way and discover new possibilities through literature, conversation and human connection.

The event will be presented by Javier Gila, president of the AIDA Foundation, an organisation which, amongst other projects, collects and sells second-hand books to raise funds for charitable initiatives.

At the end of the event, the author will be signing copies of her book

Event in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish

Few national and international authors like José Miguel Ortega del Río can boast of seeing their name featured in newspapers such as The Guardian, Le Figaro, The Telegraph, or the New York Post, and on television networks such as ABC News, O Globo, or Fox, in addition to Spanish media outlets like El País, ABC, or La Razón. The publication of Los Reyes del Grial ('The Kings of the Grail'), a book he co-authored with medievalist Margarita Torres Sevilla, made headlines around the world. The Holy Grail and its vicissitudes, a central theme in that work, return in his recent novel Calix Domini: La conjura del Grial. Together with journalist Héctor Rodríguez, they will engage in a conversation about history and fiction, in which the reader gains insight into the emotions, customs, and ways of life of people from a specific era. Thus, the historical novel becomes a bridge between historical knowledge and literary creativity.

At the end of the event, the author will sign copies of his book

Event in Spanish

Contemporary museums have evolved from being mere repositories of art to becoming active and dynamic cultural hubs. Ben van Berkel, founder and principal architect of UNStudio, and David Goodman, Dean of the IE School of Architecture & Design, will examine how architectural design, educational leadership and regional vision combine to create spaces capable of redefining cities and identities. They will offer perspectives from architectural practice, academic leadership and cultural innovation to reflect on the changing role of museums in shaping contemporary urban and cultural life.

Event in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish

Alba Zamora, C.A. Todorova, Eva Mayro and Alicia Guelvenzu, essential authors followed by tens of thousands of readers, discuss the rise of romantic fantasy, gothic romance and imaginary worlds as new territories of emotional education, where one flees from the superficial and seeks the beauty of the delicate. A discussion on heroines, wounds, desire, reading communities and the contemporary need to invent one’s own myths.

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in Spanish

Humanism and science. Nazareth Castellanos, who has become a leading figure in the popularisation of neuroscience in Spain, proposes this bridge of knowledge as a path to understanding our brain, and to being able to shape it, if we set our minds to it, as Cajal would say. And on that path, she recommends the contemplation of beauty as a form of healthy lifestyle that permeates our biology. She will discuss her research and her works with Carmen Delibes, director of the Segovia Public Library.

At the end of the event, the author will sign copies of her books

Event in Spanish

Leonor Pataki is the winner of the 38th Young Creators’ Prize at the 2025 Loewe Foundation International Poetry Prize for her work Una madeja de estambre. An ode to the cat, a loyal and independent animal that embodies many of the habits she herself desires to be happy. More than an animal, a symbol, as the award jury put it. Throughout her collection, she seeks the beauty of the ‘slow life’, of facing challenges through reflection. Pataki will be in conversation with Susana Pliego Quijano, Director of Culture at the Casa de México Foundation in Spain.

After the event, the author will sign copies of her books

Event in Spanish

Mahmoud al-Shaer and Muhammad al-Zaqzouq ran a magazine in Gaza called 28 Magazine, a platform for local writers and artists. The war in Gaza forced them to suspend their work for two and a half years; they have now managed to publish a special edition in collaboration with the digital platform Palestine is everywhere. A reflection on what it means to live in a state of suspended war and on the devastating reality of Gaza.

Muhammad al-Zaqzouq, one of the publication’s contributors, will participate from Gaza—via video link—in a conversation with Mahmoud al-Shaer, poet and editor of 28 Magazine, on the power of testimony as a record of historical construction, as a tool for preserving memory, and as a form with its own literary voice.

*All proceeds from the project will be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN).

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish

Disruption has also reached the workplace; we have moved from a lack of reflection on the places where we spend most of our time and must be creative and competitive, to seeking to make everything fit together to make working relationships something alive and human. Combining functionality, sustainability and beauty is possible. Cristina Mateo, a sociologist who has written extensively on shared spaces—which she calls the ‘third space’—explores all this in her latest book, From The Office to Industry: how TV series anticipate the future of work, in which she uses fictional workplace series to discuss contemporary work, addressing the material and immaterial culture of work, multigenerational coexistence, the impact of technology and artificial intelligence, and the challenges associated with sustainability. Cristina Mateo will be in conversation with journalist and writer Rubén Amón.

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in Spanish

The entire body of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s work was an explosion of elegance, excellence, beauty and innovation, and a celebration of exclusive craftsmanship. He epitomises, like few others, modernity rooted in tradition, achieved through meticulous craftsmanship. The result can be none other than an artistic creation. This event will explore this form of craftsmanship capable of standing time still, as seen last year in the exhibition Cristóbal Balenciaga | Shoes from Spain Tribute; its curator, Javier Echeverría Sola, will speak with Nerea Pallares, whose novels and short stories are rooted in a poetic exploration of delicacy, manual dexterity and forms of creation linked to the intimate and the artisanal. Her writing champions an idea of beauty tied to attention, slowness and the careful work of the hands. The event will be moderated by Enrique de Santiago, senior project manager at Loewe.

After the event, the author will be signing copies of her books

Event in Spanish

Spain’s recent history cannot be fully understood without examining the role played by the newspaper El País. A benchmark of modern journalism, a defender of freedoms when they were almost a pipe dream, and key to recounting who we have been and how we have fared over the years. To mark the celebration of its first 50 years, the writer Javier Cercas has just published El periódico de la democracia ('The Newspaper of Democracy'), in which he recounts the history of El País from the perspective of a reader—a privileged reader, it must be said, as he is also a contributor to its Opinion section.

At the end of the event, the author will be signing copies of his books

Event in Spanish

Buenos Aires is one of those cities straight out of a novel. It hides stories set to the rhythm of the tango on every corner, where any resident will tell you a tale worthy of Borges and where people pray to gods who dribble a football. A city of heroes and villains, where all manner of passions fill the air in streets scented with mate. It is therefore no surprise that the Argentine chronicler, journalist and writer Martín Caparrós has set his most recent works of fiction in the capital of Buenos Aires. BUE is an ode to the diversity of the city and those who have shaped it. Through dozens of characters, situations and settings, he weaves the history of the last century of this beautiful metropolis, inviting us to explore it with delight. He has also begun a series of six crime novels set in 1930s Buenos Aires, starring Pibe Rivarola, a hustler and accidental journalist who attempts to unravel mysteries and murders. The first three volumes have already been published: Todo por la patria, Horror de Buenos Aires and Los suicidios de Gardel.

Caparrós will discuss his work and the city of his life with the writer Juan Bonilla.

At the end of the event, the author will be signing copies of his books

Event in Spanish

A new instalment of ‘Propios y ajenos’, a series of public readings now in its 17th edition as part of the Hay Festival Segovia. The Torreón de Lozoya is one of the most iconic buildings dating from the 13th to the 15th centuries. A place to lose oneself in, where Jessica Andrews, Hwang Bo–Reum, Ana María Caballero, Guillermo de' Medici, Beltrán Gambier, Norberto García Hernanz, Luis Lorente Benito, Gustavo Martín Garzo, Sonia Martín Giménez, Mónica González, Roel Nieuwenkamp, Nacho Orovio, Leonor Pataki, and Ainhoa Sánchez will read their own works or those of their favourite poets.

José Félix Valdivieso, poet and self-confessed lover of languages and language, will be joining the readings as master of ceremonies.

In case of rain, the event will be moved to auditorio of Torreón de Lozoya at the same time

Event with readings in Spanish, Dutch and English

The trend in our society is increasingly towards a search for the human in everyday life: the beauty of imperfection, of sensitivity and of authentic feelings. Overwhelmed, on the one hand, by consumerism and industrial goods, and on the other, by virtual and dematerialised relationships, people are seeking to reclaim a natural and deeply human dimension in their daily lives. For many young people in the 21st century, a beautiful life also implies a different relationship with nature: a life in which the environment does not constantly suffer the consequences of mass production; where beauty is also synonymous with cleanliness and sustainability. Reusing, restoring, and breathing new life into places and objects. Three leading art experts are well versed in all this: Mercedes de Miguel, director of the prestigious Segre auction house; Corisande Albert, a ceramist; and Belén Llamas Ferrier, president of the Contemporary Arts and Crafts Association, who will engage in a dialogue on the need for tradition and classicism to provide steadfast values in turbulent times.

Event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish

The Symphony Orchestra, Big Band and Choir of the British School of Madrid are made up of students, Music21 programme teachers, alumni and parents from the School, who come together to share their passion for making music as an ensemble. The concert will offer a varied repertoire ranging from classical works to contemporary and popular music, including film scores, jazz and choral pieces, and will feature the renowned pianist Luis Fernando Pérez.

What happens when a society obsessed with progress loses touch with its roots? Carlos Franganillo, one of the most prestigious journalists on the Spanish television news scene, and Diego del Alcázar, President of IE, will discuss this topic in relation to his latest novel, La idea de volver. Set against the backdrop of the tranquil Cantabrian mountains and the hustle and bustle of life in New York, the novel follows the story of an academic returning to the place of his childhood and an elderly man trying to come to terms with the passage of time. The work reflects on roots, identity and the limits of knowledge in the age of artificial intelligence.

At the end of the event, the author will sign copies of his book

Event in Spanish

Other Stories from the Archivo de Indias is an anthology bringing together texts by ten renowned Latin American authors, who have crafted fictional narratives based on documents preserved in the Archivo General de Indias. This project by the Hay Festival and CAF aims to bring the archive’s vast collection of documents to the general public, bringing to light some of the many stories recorded there, through a diversity of voices. Two of the writers taking part in the initiative, the Spaniard Juan Bonilla and the Argentine Martín Caparrós, will discuss their texts and the project with a representative from CAF.

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in Spanish

Throughout history, women’s voices have often been silenced – omitted from the narrative or hidden behind anonymity. This conversation brings together two writers and cultural experts, Andrea Martínez, Lidia Merenciano y Sandra Miret, to reflect on authorship, absence and the subtle strategies many women have used to make themselves heard. Together, they will explore how stories are constructed and who has the power to tell them. They will be moderated by Debbie Christophers, Cultural Attaché at the British Embassy in Madrid.

At the end of the event, the authors will be signing copies of their books

Event in Spanish