Pedro Mairal and Gilmer Mesa in conversation with Adriana Martínez

In Los nuevos, by Pedro Mairal (Argentina), and Los espantos de mamá, by Gilmer Mesa (Colombia), youth experiences vertigo whilst peering over the precipice at the adult life. In Buenos Aires and the Aranjuez neighbourhood of Medellin, the protagonists carry the burden of loss and try to put their lives on track. Mairal tells of the transition from adolescence to adulthood, balancing gravity and lightness in the narrative; Mesa, the weight of a memory that is also injured. Both write about the same impulse: they seek to offer meaning in the middle of distress.

All events on Sunday, January 1st will be free for people with ID from the department of Bolívar. Complimentary tickets can be requested —up to capacity— at the box office of the Hay Festival (Centro de Convenciones) showing your identification on the same day the event is taking place.