Hay Festival Segovia 2008

Intramuros magazine has been working on the «minimal autobiography» canon for more than 25 years. Beltrán Gambier, its director, with the collaboration of Guilas Moreira, actor and audiovisual producer, will give a workshop with the aim of showing the secrets so that the public can tell by writing, if they want, their life in a thousand words: minimal autobiography. And this is done through theoretical guidelines and the reading of selected fragments of autobiographies to encourage and motivate the participants—who do not require any academic training—, in the same workshop, to write four or five first paragraphs in the first person, or a minimum complete autobiography, that will be read among the participants in the second of the sessions of this autobiography workshop.

Event in Spanish

Poetry is experiencing a surge in popularity not seen in decades. In an entirely modern phenomenon, with the aid of social networks, several generations of poets, in a high state of creative productivity, are joined by a multitude of small publishing houses looking for all styles and trends. The poet Amalia Iglesias, one of the major voices of contemporary Spanish poetry, and the poet, writer and deputy minister of the Junta de Castilla y León, Mar Sancho, will discuss validation of the poetic art in Burgos. Sheila Cremaschi, director of Hay Festival Segovia and one of Forbes’ 75 Latin women to follow in 2024, will moderate the event.

Iglesias is a poet, linguist, and cultural journalist. She is the author of a dozen books of poems, with prize winning titles including Un lugar para el fuego (1984, Premio Adonais), Lázaro se sacude las hormigas (2005, Premio Francisco de Quevedo) or La sed del río (2015, Premio Ciudad de Salamanca). Sancho is deputy minister of Culture of the Junta de Castilla y León, storyteller, and author of books of poems such as Lisbon Visited (2000, Premio Letras Jóvenes), Winterreise (2002 Premio Federico García Lorca) and Entre trenes (2019).

There will be a book signing at the end of the event.

Event in Spanish

La Colmena Desplazada is a tableau of 25 pieces carved in wood and stamped on paper that Clara Carvajal began during a stay in Weimar (Germany) in 2021. It addresses the aspirational need of man in his search for new destination and the overcrowding of these, and presents three of the ways in which this overcrowding occurs: the mass tourism of climbers on Mount Everest, the new space race between big tycoons’ private companies, and the waves of immigrants, who risk their lives trying to reach frontiers as desirable as they are inaccessible. Her altarpiece of narrative scenes showcases a link to other traditional human escape routes through religion and mythological iconography.

Madrid-born, with a degree in Fine Arts from Madrid’s Complutense University, Blake College and Heatherley School of Art (London) Carvajal is a multi-prize-winning artist who has given numerous national and international exhibitions. The exhibition will be opened by Ana Doldán, director-curator of the Esteban Vicente Museum, Javier Gila, president of the Aida ONG, and Sheila Cremaschi, director of Hay Festival Segovia and one of Forbes’ 75 Latin Women to Follow in 2024.

Event in Spanish

The worst thing that can happen to a writer is to have a creative crisis and not know what is causing it. Could it be love? A hidden mystery? Perhaps even the geography of the place you are in is influencing and conditioning it. Journalist and writer Nativel Preciado will discuss this off the back of her recently published novel Palabras para Olivia (Words for Olivia), which is set in large part in the lands of León. She will do so in conversation with Ana Gavín, director of Editorial Relations at Grupo Planeta, and with Aurelio Loureiro, a writer from León who was director of Leer magazine.

Born in Madrid, Preciado has had a long career as a journalist since the times of the Spanish transition to democracy. She has received awards such as the Francisco Cerecedo, the Víctor de la Serna, the Pluma de Plata, the Premio de Honor de la Asociación de la Prensa and the Manuel Alcántara Prize for International Journalism. In addition to numerous essays, she has also written works of fiction such as El egoísta (1999 Planeta Prize finalist), Camino de hierro (Primavera Novel Prize 2007), Canta solo para mí (Fernando Lara Novel Prize 2014), and El santuario de los elefantes (Azorín Prize 2022).

There will be a book signing at the end of the event

Event in Spanish

For the third consecutive year, Hay Festival Segovia holds the Minimal Autobiographies workshop at the Segovia Prison, led by Beltrán Gambier, founder and director of the magazine Intramuros, a leading publication in the genre. Over the magazine’s three decades, it has had contributions from prestigious writers, including Nobel Literature Prize winners such as Günter Grass, Herta Müller, and Mo Yan. Gambier is also a lawyer and writer of several legal texts in areas including penitentiary administrative law. Pedro Zuazua will also participate. He is a graduate in Hispanic Literature and Linguistics from the University of Oviedo, Director of Communications at PRISA Noticias, and author of En mi casa no entra un gato and Días para ser gato, books with autobiographical content about his life with his cats Mia and Atún.

This is a unique opportunity for people who are incarcerated to participate in an intellectual literary activity where they will write a fragment of their own autobiography.

Event in Spanish

Nobody is normal up close, not even the artists and models from whom we tend to demand a perfection which, like everybody else, they do not own. Leticia Díaz de la Morena, with her photographic exhibition De cerca nadie es normal ('Nobody is Normal Up Close'), invites us to look at her subjects in the eyes, at their skin, at their internal worlds.

From childhood, Díaz de la Morena was attracted to drawing and painting. It was when she was given her first camera that she discovered she could paint with no tools other than light. She learned then that her place was behind that camera, watching and capturing what was happening on the other side of the lens. Years later she studied a professional degree in Image and she did her internship on set at Hachette Filipacchi Media (now Hearst). It was there an opportunity arose that she jumped at; to work as an assistant to Spanish photographers such as Diego Lafuente, Joaquín Calle and Bernardo Doral. As a freelance photographer, celebrities such as Dani Martín, Blanca Suarez and Vigo Mortensen have posed for her. Over her 15 years in the profession, firms such as Samsung, Rochas, H&M, Guerlain and Primark have trusted her professionalism and her unique understanding of photography. She has also shot the covers of Spain’s most influential magazines including Harper's Bazaar, Telva, Elle and Nylon.

She will be accompanied at the exhibition opening by Juan Carlos Monroy, Councillor of Culture for Segovia City Council; Antonio Graell, photographer, and Sheila Cremaschi, Hay Festival Segovia Director and one of Forbes’ 75 Latin women to follow in 2024.

Event in Spanish

The technological revolution, the climate crisis and the increase in social inequality, phenomena with unprecedented disruptive potential, place education and culture at the center of the debate: only through militant humanism can the negative effects of such transformative technologies be counteracted such as Artificial Intelligence, as well as guaranteeing a reasonably sustainable future. The philosopher Pilar Cortada, director of Eina Obra; the engineer Xavier Ginesta, founder of Voxel and President of the foundation Humanitas internacional, the writer and columnist Gustavo Martín Garzo, and the director of Programming of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) Inma Ballesteros, will talk in a discussion moderated by Miquel Molina, deputy director of La Vanguardia and writer. The event is presented by Sheila Cremaschi, director of the Hay Festival and chosen by Forbes among the 75 Latin women to follow 2024.

Event in Spanish

In a world where advances in technology will enhance our efficiency and perform many of our tasks for us, creativity and other essentially human skills will become increasingly valuable.

In this inaugural panel the young singer and environmental activist Sara Abad, the Galician neuroscientist, professor and researcher in New York; Susana Martínez-Conde, the pilosopher Pilar Cortada, director of Eina Obra —an initiative aimed at promoting the transition towards socially and ecologically sustainable practices through design and art— and professor at the State University of New York; the author of books on the human essence and technology entrepreneur Xavier Ginesta and other guests will take part in this discussion about the brain and its relationship to creativity along with the winner of the 2014 Princesa de Girona Social Award and Community Builder of Banco Sabadell Foundation, Mohamed El Amrani.

There will be a book signing at the end of the event in the room next to the entrance of IE University

With simultaneous translation from Spanish to English

Join British DJ and Poet James Massiah for an electrifying session blending the vibrant rhythms of dub, dancehall, and soca. Immerse yourself in a sonic journey where pulsating beats and poetic expressions intertwine, creating an unforgettable dance experience. Get ready to move and be moved by the dynamic fusion of these rich Caribbean sounds. Kicking off the night, talented DJs from IE University will set the stage with their innovative mixes. Following them, Cuban artist, model, and DJ Karina Valero will take over, captivating the crowd with her eclectic style that fuses Afro-Cuban beats, Latin house, and tropical bass. Don't miss this spectacular lineup!

20:15-20:45: IE Students DJs and IE Music Club.

20:45-21:30: DJ and Artist, Karina Valero

21:30-22:30: DJ and Poet, James Massiah

Alexander the Great went down in history as a mighty conqueror, but, as always, behind the legend lay the person. That is where the young writer, Planeta Prize 2023 finalist, Alfonso Goizueta, steps in with La sangre del padre ('The Blood of the Father'); a novel that endeavours to reflect the chiaroscuro of power and its devastating propensity to destroy any dreams of freedom. With historical rigour, Goizueta traces the life of a man who wanted to weave his own dreams fighting his enemies, but also facing up to his personal contradictions and those of the people closest to him. He will lead a seminar with María José Ferrari, professor and Vice Dean of Academic Affairs at IE Arts & Humanities.

There will be a book signing at the end of the event

Event in Spanish

The José Manuel Lara Foundation firmly believes that the promotion of reading leads to social transformation, especially among young people. To this end, the students of the IES Francisco Giner de los Ríos Secondary School in Segovia will meet with a writer they have chosen themselves; the poet David Galán Redry, teacher from Valladolid, online poet, and winner of the ESPASAesPOESÍA 2019 award.

The aim is to encourage reading among the students and at the same time explore the idea that books can be used for more than as a source of escape or leisure, that more and better reading can lead them to improve their grades and open doors to a brighter future. The José Manuel Lara Foundation pursues social transformation through reading as it is evident that a young person who reads will gain more knowledge, be more skilled in critical thinking, will have greater possibilities for the future and, therefore, will be happier.

Event in Spanish

2024 is a significant year for Europe, with the EU Parliament elections last June and the 35th anniversary commemoration of the fall of the Berlin Wall in the autumn. The Hay Festival Segovia comes together with the Goethe-Institut Madrid and the German Embassy in Madrid to weave these events into a project celebrating the ideas of cooperation and, especially, of being united in our plurality. The interactive art installation invites passers-by to take part in this diversity by removing one of the six thousand wooden blocks engraved with quotes by some of the greatest European thinkers. As the blocks with their quotes disappear, so will the wall. At this inauguration, ambassadors, artists, and writers have been invited to read in their original language.

Selected as one of the best young British novelists by Granta magazine in 2023, Eley Williams's short fiction appears in anthologies including The Penguin Book of the Contemporary British Short Story, Pilot Press's Modern Queer Poets and Liberating the Canon, edited by Isabel Waidner. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, her debut collection Attrib. and other stories won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction and her novel The Liar's Dictionary; in which she unpacks how rigorous and also absurd language can be, won a 2021 Betty Trask Award and was named one of The Guardian books of the year.

Williams will discuss her work, her influences and her view of contemporary literature with Cristina Ward, British Council in Spain’s Head of Arts.

There will be a book signing at the end of the event in the room next to the main entrance

Event in English

François-Henri Désérable returned from a long trip to Iran after the harsh repression of the uprisings of 2022 with a sense of powerlessness over his experience and the need to tell the story. Arrested by the Revolutionary Guards, he was forced to leave the country. Yet the plan had been so much more peaceful: to follow in the footsteps of travel writer Nicolas Bouvier in Iran. He was already on the outbound plane when it all went wrong with a phone call urging him to turn around as his life could be in danger. From this bitter experience was born the book L’Usure d’un monde: une traversée de l’Iran. ('The Wear and Tear of a World. A Journey through Iran'). Born in 1987, Désérable featured on the prestigious Blanche de Gallimard 2013 list of authors, with Tu montreras ma tête au peuple, a novel set in the French Revolution. With Évariste he won prizes such as the Geneviève Moll Biography and Histoire de Paris. He established himself as one of the best writers of his generation by winning the Grand Prix de l'Académie Française 2021 with Mon maître et mon vainqueur.

Désérable will talk to Eva Orúe, journalist, writer, cultural manager, and director of the Madrid Book Fair. The event will be introduced by Isabelle Berneron, attaché for books, ideas and media networks at the Institut Français D'Espagne.

There will be a book signing at the end of the event in the lecture room next to the entrance

With simultaneous translation from French to Spanish

Does art really work as an instrument for raising awareness? In front of her work La Colmena Desplazada ('The Displaced Hive'), an altarpiece of 25 pieces carved in wood and printed on paper, the NGO AIDA presents the artist Clara Carvajal in conversation with IE University professor Claudia Rodríguez-Ponga, PhD Arts, and Catalina Tejero, Vice Dean of Arts and Humanities, IE University.

They will discuss the artistic process of the work as well as its message: a commentary on the human desire to seek and achieve new goals and challenges, and overcrowding in the forms of mass tourism of mountaineers on Mount Everest; the new space race in the private sphere; and the waves of immigrants who risk their lives trying to reach borders as desirable as they are inaccessible, and whose situation is of great concern to NGOs.

Event in Spanish

Craft and technology fuse in the realm of design, creating a landscape where tradition meets innovation and the past is preserved and reinvented through the use of contemporary tools. This event will delve into this intricate relationship and explore how cutting-edge technology can elevate and protect craftsmanship. From artisanal techniques to digital advances, join us as we discover the symbiotic fusion that honours and transforms the rich heritage of design. David Goodman, Dean of IE School of Architecture and Design will converse with Simoneta Gómez-Acebo, representative of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship and active member of the Contemporary Association of Arts and Crafts, Belén Llamas Ferrier, president of the Contemporary Association of Arts and Crafts and Miguel Leiro, designer, curator, and educator founder of Office of Design and curator of the MAYRIT Bienal a leading experimental architecture and design platform.

Event in English with simultaneous translation to Spanish

Human beings have always made sense of their world by means of stories. But now, as people increasingly retreat into silos of perceived differences and the planet verges on catastrophe, the need for stories has never been greater, because storytelling offers us a way out of social and ecological collapse.

In this interactive workshop, Cece Helgesen, founder of StoryJam Europe based in Montpellier, France, will examine the role of storytelling in our personal and professional lives and guide participants through a series of exercises aimed at stimulating what she calls "the inner lens of storytelling," so that elements of lived experiences can be used to construct distinctive personal stories that connect with others and spur them to action.

Storytelling is a powerful tool that we can all use to work toward a more compassionate world, not only with each other, but with the planet itself.

Event in French

An in-depth conversation on justice, conflict, democracy and rule of law by Mark Muller Stuart and Soraya Saénz de Santamaria, moderated by Soledad Atienza.

Muller Stuart KC is a barrister specializing in international law and human rights. A member of King's Council since 2006, he advises global organisations. He has written books and reports on human rights and has carried out missions in places including Afghanistan, Sudan, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Turkey. Founder of Beyond Borders, he works to facilitate dialogue and reconciliation in countries in conflict. Sáenz de Santamaria is a state lawyer, member of the Council of State, formerly Vice President of the Spanish government and Minister of the Presidency from 2011 to 2018.

The event will be moderated by Atienza, lawyer, Dean of IE Law School, senior advisor at the International Bar Association, and author of the book Teaching Law.

With simultaneous translation from English to Spanish

The advent of artificial intelligence raises many questions for the writing industry and, in particular, for writers, translators and journalists. CEDRO’s director general, Jorge Corrales, along with journalist Juan Soto Ivars, will have a conversation led by the writer, deputy director of the RAE and president of CEDRO, Carme Riera, to discuss generative artificial intelligence and its impact on the publishing sector. They will explore the effects of using and training these tools on authors' rights, and the concept of authorship in the face of the new challenges that these technologies present.

Soto Ivars is a writer and columnist for El Confidencial and El Periódico de Cataluña. He appears on radio and television programmes such as Julia en la Onda and Espejo Público, and also presents a special feature on censored and condemned books for the programme Cuarto Milenio. His latest publications include the essays La trinchera de letras (which won the Premio Internacional de Ensayo Jovellanos prize) and Nadie se va a reír: la increíble historia de un juicio a la ironía (Premio Fam Cultura Pop Eye prize-winner)

There will be a book signing at the end of the event.

Event in Spanish

In the 80s, the group Mecano, with Ana Torroja at the microphone, formed the centre of a web of thousands of anonymous voices which sang their songs anywhere, at any time and in any place. The relationship between music and words is as true as it is ambiguous at times, as is the relationship between historical and personal time.

Blanca Baltés and Emilio Peral Vega reflect on this, and how it manifests itself in literary and musical forms of expression. Baltés is a playwright, theater researcher and entrepreneur in the audio world; she holds a PhD in Spanish Linguistics and is the author of Mamá no lo sabe todavía, a novel that tells the interconnected stories of several Spanish women during the second half of the 20th century. Peral Vega is professor of Spanish Literature, Vice-Dean of Culture, Institutional Relations and Library at Madrid Complutense University. Together with Elena Torres Clemente, he has published Mecano. Inspiración poética y genio musical.

There will be a book signing by both authors at the end of the conversation

Event in Spanish