The port city celebrates its Book Fair this weekend in the Plaza de España, with 47 booths and 130 authors, including Máximo Huerta, Joaquín Araujo, Pedro Olalla and Pablo Rivero
In Frankfurt, the largest Book Fair in the world in editorial representation and one of the great annual events in the world of literature is being held these days. In addition to its enormous numbers of attendees and exhibitors, this year has an outstanding detail for our country: Spain is the Guest of Honor Country, with the aim of presenting its culture and literature to the world, which is experiencing one of the most interesting moments of its recent history. Coincidence or not, the big event coincides this year with another on a smaller scale, but also a reflection of the good Spanish literary moment. This is the Cartagena Book Fair, which started this Thursday and can be enjoyed until next Sunday (October 23), and which returns after a too long interruption of 13 years, turning the port municipality into ‘a city to read ‘, according to its motto.
The truth is that you don’t have to travel to the German city of Frankfurt to enjoy lyrics, because Cartagena has up to 47 booths located in the heart of the city, in the Plaza de España, with a varied program that is filling the city with life and of books. From yesterday until next Sunday, the Fair will remain open from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. on Sunday). At least 130 authors will spend the weekend at the fair to present their latest creations and sign their works, thus inviting all Cartagenans and visitors from all areas of the Region of Murcia to soak up literature between well-known cars and some of the best writers on the national scene, from Benjamín Prado and Pedro Olalla to Joaquín Araujo, Pablo Rivero and Máximo Huerta, as well as regional ones: Emilio Tomás, María Pilar Conn, Luis Miguel Pérez Adán, Beatriz Sánchez del Álamo or Paco López Mengual.
Featured Writers
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Maximum Orchard
Valencian writer and journalist. He has worked on television and in print media. For his latest novel, ‘Goodbye, small’, he has received the 2022 Fernando de Lara Novel Award. -
Stephanie Chereguini
Writer, telecommunications engineer and Madrid trekking guide. Her time in Argentina and her passion for nature have traced her deep poetry about life. -
Pedro Olala
Asturian writer and filmmaker. His extensive work explores Greek culture in a literary and plastic way, earning him the esteem of the Academy of Athens and Harvard University. -
Jeronimo Tristan.
Murcian writer and teacher. He is known for the novels of the police inspector Víctor Ros, set at the end of the 19th century and whose television adaptation was premiered by RTVE.
As a novelty in this year’s edition, the organization has created a web page to find out what is happening at the fair at all times. They will also be very present in social networks, trying to know the opinion of visitors, with the aim of promoting citizen participation. They especially want to do it with children and young people, for which they have organized many activities focused on the little ones: workshops, open-air libraries, book exchanges and even dances. For the Cartagena Library Network, “it is a strong point and an opportunity to fill the fair and the city with young people and students.”
Workshops, book exchanges and dances have been organized for the little ones
After yesterday’s day, the Fair has a whole weekend of literary life ahead of it. The book signings will be distributed from 12:00 and 17:00 through the different booths in the Plaza de España. Among the authors, you can see Jerónimo Tristante, Alma Mínguez and Fernando Da Casa, among others.
In the afternoon there will be a workshop on customization of t-shirts and another on children’s games. The protagonists of this Friday’s presentations will be the writer and actor of ‘Cuéntame’ Pablo Rivero, who brings his novel ‘La cria’ – a psychological ‘thriller’ that focuses on the overexposure of minors on networks–; the Hellenist Pedro Olalla with his ‘Words from the Aegean’ and the poet Estefanía Chereguini, with ‘The ocher trail’.
Maximo Huerta, on Saturday
That Saturday will have a fantastic start with the magic show by the magician Abel, followed by book signings by other authors such as Alicia Rico Forte from Yecla, who is bringing her work to Cartagena for the first time, Antonio Parra, Montserrat Abumalham, Rosa Huertas, Blas Ruiz Grau and JR Barat, who will also hold a youth meeting, and will present his historical work ‘Check to the Emperor’.
After a workshop on making puppets with recycled materials and another on creating stories in cardboard cubes, there will be a perfect afternoon for new outstanding presentations. Juan Tranche brings his book ‘Spiculus: two friends facing death in Nero’s Rome’, while the author Joaquín Araujo, screenwriter, presenter, naturalist and collaborator of Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, will present ‘We are water that thinks’. Finally, the Valencian writer and journalist Máximo Huerta will unravel ‘Goodbye, small’, the book with which he has won the 2022 Fernando de Lara Novel Prize.
Sunday workshops
The closing of this Book Fair will be marked by numerous workshops: two dedicated to comics will be held by the Arteando association, another to make original puppets with recycled materials and one focused on creating ‘My first artist’s book’, using techniques of ‘collage’. In the morning there will be room for debate with a round table on women, repression and historical memory. Manuel Madrid will sign ‘Closet Fund’ at the Educania booth, at 12 noon. Authors such as María Teresa Cervantes, Marisa López Soria, Ana Ballabriga, Amelia Castilla, Paco López Mengual and Inocencio Víctor Ros will also participate on Sunday, while the poetry recital ‘In flesh and verse’, by the Writers’ Association of Cartagena, closes the programming.
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