Sergio Vila-Sanjuán

Invitado de Honor

Sergio Vila‑Sanjuán is the author of a trilogy of novels – A Barcelona Heiress, It Was in the Air (2013 Nadal Prize) and El informe Casabona (The Casabona Report) – which weave together family memory and historical chronicle and have been translated into several languages. He has also written the plays El club de la escalera (The Staircase Club) and La agente literaria (The Literary Agent). A seasoned cultural journalist, he is the director of the Cultura/s supplement at La Vanguardia. He has published books on literary, publishing and artistic affairs, including Pasando página (Turning the Page), Código best seller (Bestseller Code) and Cultura española en democracia (Spanish Culture in Democracy). He was the curator of the Year of the Book and Reading 2005 and is a member of the Royal Academy of Belles-lettres of Barcelona. His accolades include the 2020 National Prize for Cultural Journalism, the Atlántida Prize and the Giménez Frontín Prize for Intercultural Dialogue. In 2025, he was awarded the Fernando Lara Novel Prize for Misterio en el Barrio Gótico (Mystery in the Gothic Quarter).

Other activities involving the participant:

X-ray of the Catalan publishing sector

Maria Carme Roca

Invitado de Honor

Maria Carme Roca (Barcelona, 1955) is a Catalan historian and philologist, and one of the country’s most widely read authors. After twelve years as a teacher, she has devoted herself exclusively to writing since 1997. She has published over seventy books, aimed at both children and young people as well as adults. Her work spans short stories, essays and novels, with a particular focus on historical fiction, including titles such as El pont de fusta (The Wooden Bridge) (2004), Bàrcino (2009) and L’enigma Colom (The Columbus Enigma) (2014). Her essays include Les dones de Jaume I (The Wives of James I) (2008) and Abadesses i priores a la Catalunya medieval (Abbesses and Prioresses in Medieval Catalonia) (2014).
Over the course of her career she has received numerous awards, including the Lola Anglada Prize for On s’amaga la por (Where Fear Hides) (2002), the Nèstor Luján Prize for Historical Fiction for Intrigues de palau (Palace Intrigues) (2006), the Joaquim Ruyra Prize for Katalepsis (2012), the Illa dels Llibres Prize for A punt d’estrena (Ready for Première) (2016), awarded by popular vote, the Barcanova Prize for Young People’s Literature for Selfies al cementiri (Selfies in the Cemetery) (2017) and the Prudenci Bertrana Girona Literary Prize for the novel El far (The Lighthouse) (2018). In 2025 she won the Santa Eulàlia Prize with El passatge (The Passage), adding yet another accolade to her distinguished record. Alongside writing, she regularly takes part in school reader forums, library discussions and literary walking tours based on her novels. 
 

Other activities involving the participant:

The seduction of historical figures
Enigma and betrayal: Reconstructing history

Eduardo Mendoza

Invitado de Honor

Eduardo Mendoza published his début novel The Truth about the Savolta Case, which received the Critics’ Prize, in 1975. This was followed by The Mystery of the Enchanted Crypt (1979) and The Olive Labyrinth (1982). In 1986, he published The City of Marvels, which received the City of Barcelona Prize. He has written several other novels: No Word from Gurb (1991); The Year of the Flood (1992); A Light Comedy (1996), awarded Best Foreign Book in France; The Adventure of the Ladies’ Dressing Table (2001), winner of the Madrid Booksellers Guild Award; Mauricio o las elecciones primarias (Mauricio or the Primaries) (2006), winner of the José Manuel Lara Novel Prize; El asombroso viaje de Pomponio Flato (The Amazing Journey of Pomponius Flatus) (2008), which received the Terenci Moix Prize and the Silver Pen at the Bilbao Book Fair; An Englishman in Madrid (2010), winner of the 2010 Planeta Prize and the European Book Prize; El enredo de la bolsa y la vida (The Money and Life Mishap) (2012); El secreto de la modelo extraviada (The Secret of the Missing Model) (2015); El rey recibe (The King Receives) (2018); El negociado del yin y el yang (The Yin and Yang Deal) (2019); Transbordo en Moscú (Transfer in Moscow) (2021) and Three Enigmas for the Organization (2024). In addition to the prizes already mentioned, he has received the Cervantes Prize (2016), the Liber Prize, the National Culture Prize from the Government of Catalonia, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Barcino International Historical Novel Award and the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature (2025).

Other activities involving the participant:

Tribute to Vázquez Montalbán. The great prolific
Opening of the Carlos Fuentes Literary Lounge

Carme Riera

Invitado de Honor

Carme Riera, Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, made her literary début in 1975 with Te deix, amor, la mar com a penyora (I Leave You, My Love, the Sea as My Pledge). Among her novels, highlights include Dins el darrer blau (In the Last Twilight) (1994), which received the Josep Pla, National Narrative, Crexells and Lletra d’Or Prizes, as well as the Vittorini Prize for the Best Foreign Novel Published in Italy in 2000; Cap al cel obert (Towards the Open Sky) (2000, Serra d’Or Critics’ Prize); La meitat de l’ànima (Half of the Soul) (2003, Sant Jordi Prize); L’estiu de l’anglès (The Summer of the Englishman) (2006); Natura quasi morta (Life Almost Still) (2011); Temps d’innocència (A Time of Innocence) (2013); Les darreres paraules (Last Words) (2016 BBVA Sant Joan Prize), which was adapted for both stage and opera; Venjaré la teva mort (I Will Avenge Your Death) (2018) and Una ombra blanca (A White Shadow) (2024). As an essayist, she has published La Escuela de Barcelona (The Barcelona School) (1988) and Carmen Balcells, traficant de paraules (Carmen Balcells, Words Trafficker) (2022). She is also the author of the short story collections Epitel·lis tendríssims (Exceedingly Tender Epithalamia) (1981) and Contra l’amor en companyia (Against Love in Company) (1981), the maternity diary Temps d’una espera (Waiting Time) (1998), the literary memoir Gràcies (Thank You) (2025) and the stories La veu de la sirena (The Voice of the Siren) (2015) and La pau dels somnis feliços (The Peace of Happy Dreams) (2022). Her work has been translated into numerous languages. In recognition of her dual role as writer and academic, she was awarded the National Culture Prize in 2001 and the National Literature Prize in 2015. She became a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Letters of Barcelona in 2002 and of the Royal Spanish Academy in 2012.

Other activities involving the participant:

Writing to acknowledge 50 years of loyalty
Tribute to Ana María Matute. Grand literature

Carme Riera

Invitado de Honor

Carme Riera, Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, made her literary début in 1975 with Te deix, amor, la mar com a penyora (I Leave You, My Love, the Sea as My Pledge). Among her novels, highlights include Dins el darrer blau (In the Last Twilight) (1994), which received the Josep Pla, National Narrative, Crexells and Lletra d’Or Prizes, as well as the Vittorini Prize for the Best Foreign Novel Published in Italy in 2000; Cap al cel obert (Towards the Open Sky) (2000, Serra d’Or Critics’ Prize); La meitat de l’ànima (Half of the Soul) (2003, Sant Jordi Prize); L’estiu de l’anglès (The Summer of the Englishman) (2006); Natura quasi morta (Life Almost Still) (2011); Temps d’innocència (A Time of Innocence) (2013); Les darreres paraules (Last Words) (2016 BBVA Sant Joan Prize), which was adapted for both stage and opera; Venjaré la teva mort (I Will Avenge Your Death) (2018) and Una ombra blanca (A White Shadow) (2024). As an essayist, she has published La Escuela de Barcelona (The Barcelona School) (1988) and Carmen Balcells, traficant de paraules (Carmen Balcells, Words Trafficker) (2022). She is also the author of the short story collections Epitel·lis tendríssims (Exceedingly Tender Epithalamia) (1981) and Contra l’amor en companyia (Against Love in Company) (1981), the maternity diary Temps d’una espera (Waiting Time) (1998), the literary memoir Gràcies (Thank You) (2025) and the stories La veu de la sirena (The Voice of the Siren) (2015) and La pau dels somnis feliços (The Peace of Happy Dreams) (2022). Her work has been translated into numerous languages. In recognition of her dual role as writer and academic, she was awarded the National Culture Prize in 2001 and the National Literature Prize in 2015. She became a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Letters of Barcelona in 2002 and of the Royal Spanish Academy in 2012.

Other activities involving the participant:

Tribute to Carmen Balcells. The revolution of the publishing world
Tribute to Ana María Matute. Grand literature

Álvaro Colomer

Invitado de Honor

Writer and journalist. He is the author of a trilogy on the death of the city – La calle de los suicidios (Suicide Street) (Círculo de Lectores, 2000), Mimodrama de una ciudad muerta (Mimodrama of a Dead City) (Siruela, 2004) and Los bosques de Upsala (The Forests of Uppsala) (Alfaguara, 2009) – as well as Aunque caminen por el valle de la muerte (Even Though They Walk Through the Valley of Death) (Random House, 2017), a novel based on real events which reconstructs the Battle of Najaf (Iraq). He has also published the non-fiction works Se alquila una mujer (Woman for Hire) (MR, 2002) and Guardianes de la memoria (Guardians of Memory) (MR, 2008; Fórcola, 2020), a travel book that earned him the International Award for Excellence in Journalism. He is also the author of books for children and young adults.
After three decades contributing to a range of media outlets, he is now editorial coordinator at Zenda magazine, a regular contributor to the ‘Cultura/s’ supplement (La Vanguardia) and a frequent guest on the radio programme A vivir (Cadena Ser). He also teaches in the Master’s in Publishing at the UPF School of Management, among other roles.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

Barcelona today: a transformation
Learn how to write
Sustainable narratives
The seduction of historical figures
Expanded noir literature
Tribute to Ana María Matute. Grand literature
(Literally) killers in Barcelona
From where one writes
Literary agencies in Barcelona

Adrià Pujol

Invitado de Honor

Adrià Pujol i Cruells (Begur, 1974) is an anthropologist, translator and writer. He combines teaching with museography and applied research. He has published essays, memoir and fiction. Among his works, notable titles include the autofiction Barcelona Potholes; the chronicles Seixanta-sis sinofosos (Sixty‑Six Sinophobes); the novels Els llocs on ha dormit Jonàs (The Places Where Jonàs Slept) and Mr. Folch; the essays I SI (especulacions sobre llenguatge i literatura) (WHAT IF: Speculations on Language and Literature), O NO (llegir, escriure, publicar) (OR NOT: Reading, Writing, Publishing) and La carpeta és blava (The Folder Is Blue); the Guia sentimental de l’Empordanet (Sentimental Guide to the Empordanet) and the literary artefact El fill del corrector / Arre, arre, corrector (The Proof‑reader’s Son / Arre, arre, Proof‑reader), co-authored with Rubén Martín Giráldez. He has translated works by Georges Perec, Pierre Michon, Bruno Latour, Raymond Roussel and Louis Calaferte, among others.

Other activities involving the participant:

Learn how to write

Victoria Szpunberg

Invitado de Honor

Victoria Szpunberg is a playwright, director and dramaturgy teacher. She was invited to the Royal Court Theatre International Residency in 2000 with her first play.
Since then, her works have premièred at numerous national and international festivals and theatres. Her plays have been translated into more than ten languages. Alongside her career as a writer, she has partnered with various choreographers, developed dramaturgies, directed and adapted plays and written pieces for radio and sound installations. She has also taken part in theatre and education projects. In 2013, she received the Max Prize for Catalan Playwriting. In 2019, she was playwright-in-residence at Sala Beckett with the play Amor mundi (Festival Grec 2019) and won the VII SGAE Laboratory Fellowship to write Tu hija (Your Daughter). In 2022, she premièred the opera libretto La gata perduda (The Lost Cat) (Gran Teatro del Liceo, winner of the Serra d’Or Prize, Max Prize, Teatre Barcelona Prize, among others), and that same year also premièred El peso de un cuerpo (The Weight of a Body) (TNC and CDN). In 2023, she premièred her play Mal de coraçon (Heartache) (Cia Solitària, TNC), and in 2024 L’imperatiu categòric (The Categorical Imperative) (Teatre Lliure 2024–2025), a work that received the City of Barcelona Prize, the Butaca Prize, the Time Out Award for Best Creator of the Year and the Critics’ Prize for Best Text, among others. This year she has premièred Vulcano (Volcano) (CDN) and La tercera fuga (The Third Escape) (Sala Gran, TNC).

Other activities involving the participant:

Barcelona opens the curtain!
Presentation of Babelia

Eduard Olesti

Invitado de Honor

Eduard Olesti was born in 1995 in Barcelona. He has published the poetry collections Sarcop and Un cowboy crepuscular (A Crepuscular Cowboy). He has worked in theatre – as a playwright and director – and in other areas of the arts and culture. Gossos dempeus (Dogs Standing) is his first novel.

Other activities involving the participant:

Bolaño's transatlantic heritage

Josep Maria Miró

Invitado de Honor

Author of The Monster (2023, XXXII Jardiel Poncela Prize / XVIII Quim Masó Prize), Me, Trans (2023, VII Teatre Barcelona Prize – Local Musical Show), Remains of the Glowing Night (2021), La Majordoma (The Lady Butler) (2020), The Nicest Body Ever Seen Around These Parts (2020, National Prize for Dramatic Literature 2022 / XLV Born Prize / XXV Critics’ Prize), The White Room (2020), Temps salvatge (Wild Times) (2017, XXII Max Prize for Authorship), Olvidémonos de ser turistas (Let’s Forget about Being Tourists) (2017), Cúbit (Ulna) (2016), La travessia (The Passage) (2015, Frederic Roda Prize – XLV Night of Catalan Literature), Obac (Shady) (2014), Estripar la terra (Tearing Up the Earth) (2013,
Autor Exprés Prize), Fum (Smoke) (2012), Nerium Park (2012, Jaume Vidal i Alcover Prize / VI Quim Masó Prize), El principi d’Arquimedes (Archimedes’ Principle) (2011, XXXVI Born Prize), Gang Bang (2010, Project T6 Teatre Nacional de Catalunya), La dona que perdia tots els avions (The Woman Who Always Missed Her Flight) (2009, XXXIV Born Prize 2009) and stage adaptations such as Sicalíptiques (2024), Reis del món (Kings of the World) (2023), Els homes i els dies (The Men and the Days) (2022), L’amic retrobat (The Recovered Friend) (2019), Neus Català (2015), Esperança dinamita (Dynamite Hope) (2015) and Com si entrés en una pàtria (As If I Entered a Homeland) (2010). His work has been translated into more than twenty languages and has done over one hundred premières worldwide. He is currently working on the final monologue in the Tríptic de l’epifania (Triptych of the Epiphany), a new original text for the 2026–2027 season, and an adaptation of Eloy Moreno’s novel Invisible for the company La Joven. Next year will see the first English-language première of one of his plays off-Broadway in New York.

Other activities involving the participant:

Barcelona opens the curtain!

Álvaro Colomer

Invitado de Honor

Writer and journalist. He is the author of a trilogy on the death of the city – La calle de los suicidios (Suicide Street) (Círculo de Lectores, 2000), Mimodrama de una ciudad muerta (Mimodrama of a Dead City) (Siruela, 2004) and Los bosques de Upsala (The Forests of Uppsala) (Alfaguara, 2009) – as well as Aunque caminen por el valle de la muerte (Even Though They Walk Through the Valley of Death) (Random House, 2017), a novel based on real events which reconstructs the Battle of Najaf (Iraq). He has also published the non-fiction works Se alquila una mujer (Woman for Hire) (MR, 2002) and Guardianes de la memoria (Guardians of Memory) (MR, 2008; Fórcola, 2020), a travel book that earned him the International Award for Excellence in Journalism. He is also the author of books for children and young adults.
After three decades contributing to a range of media outlets, he is now editorial coordinator at Zenda magazine, a regular contributor to the ‘Cultura/s’ supplement (La Vanguardia) and a frequent guest on the radio programme A vivir (Cadena Ser). He also teaches in the Master’s in Publishing at the UPF School of Management, among other roles.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

Writing to acknowledge 50 years of loyalty
Learn how to write
Sustainable narratives
The seduction of historical figures
Expanded noir literature
Tribute to Ana María Matute. Grand literature
(Literally) killers in Barcelona
From where one writes
Literary agencies in Barcelona

Adrià Pujol

Invitado de Honor

Adrià Pujol i Cruells (Begur, 1974) is an anthropologist, translator and writer. He combines teaching with museography and applied research. He has published essays, memoir and fiction. Among his works, notable titles include the autofiction Barcelona Potholes; the chronicles Seixanta-sis sinofosos (Sixty‑Six Sinophobes); the novels Els llocs on ha dormit Jonàs (The Places Where Jonàs Slept) and Mr. Folch; the essays I SI (especulacions sobre llenguatge i literatura) (WHAT IF: Speculations on Language and Literature), O NO (llegir, escriure, publicar) (OR NOT: Reading, Writing, Publishing) and La carpeta és blava (The Folder Is Blue); the Guia sentimental de l’Empordanet (Sentimental Guide to the Empordanet) and the literary artefact El fill del corrector / Arre, arre, corrector (The Proof‑reader’s Son / Arre, arre, Proof‑reader), co-authored with Rubén Martín Giráldez. He has translated works by Georges Perec, Pierre Michon, Bruno Latour, Raymond Roussel and Louis Calaferte, among others.

Other activities involving the participant:

Barcelona today: a transformation

Álvaro Colomer

Invitado de Honor

Writer and journalist. He is the author of a trilogy on the death of the city – La calle de los suicidios (Suicide Street) (Círculo de Lectores, 2000), Mimodrama de una ciudad muerta (Mimodrama of a Dead City) (Siruela, 2004) and Los bosques de Upsala (The Forests of Uppsala) (Alfaguara, 2009) – as well as Aunque caminen por el valle de la muerte (Even Though They Walk Through the Valley of Death) (Random House, 2017), a novel based on real events which reconstructs the Battle of Najaf (Iraq). He has also published the non-fiction works Se alquila una mujer (Woman for Hire) (MR, 2002) and Guardianes de la memoria (Guardians of Memory) (MR, 2008; Fórcola, 2020), a travel book that earned him the International Award for Excellence in Journalism. He is also the author of books for children and young adults.
After three decades contributing to a range of media outlets, he is now editorial coordinator at Zenda magazine, a regular contributor to the ‘Cultura/s’ supplement (La Vanguardia) and a frequent guest on the radio programme A vivir (Cadena Ser). He also teaches in the Master’s in Publishing at the UPF School of Management, among other roles.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

Writing to acknowledge 50 years of loyalty
Barcelona today: a transformation
Sustainable narratives
The seduction of historical figures
Expanded noir literature
Tribute to Ana María Matute. Grand literature
(Literally) killers in Barcelona
From where one writes
Literary agencies in Barcelona

Mar García Puig

Invitado de Honor

Mar García Puig born in Barcelona in 1977, has a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature and a master’s degree in linguistics. She wrote La història dels vertebrats (La Magrana, 2023), which won the City of Barcelona Award, the No Llegiu Award and the Vanity Fair Award for best new author. Also published in Spanish (Random House, 2023), it will soon be translated into French, English and Portuguese and turned into a film. A publisher and translator by profession, she has contributed to media outlets such as El País, La Vanguardia, El Periódico, El Diario and Público, and she has a section on the Catalunya Ràdio programme Les dones i els dies. She also gives talks and workshops on the relationship between literature and madness.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

Female narratives

Colm Tóibín

Colm Tóibín is one of the most prominent literary figures in the English-speaking world. His work spans novels, short stories, essays, theatre and literary criticism. He has been shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize and has received prestigious awards including the IMPAC and the E.M. Forster Award. His work has been translated into over thirty languages.
In Catalan, Amsterdam has published Brooklyn (2010), The Testament of Mary (2014), Nora Webster (2016), House of Names (2017), Mothers and Sons (2019), The Magician (2022), A Long Winter (2023) and Long Island (2024).
The Irish author’s Homage to Barcelona was first published in 1990 and reissued in 2025 in a co-edition by Barcelona City Council and Ara Llibres. It has also been published in Spanish for the first time.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

Tribute to Mercé Rodoreda. The most universal Catalan author

Mercè Ibarz

Invitado de Honor

Mercè Ibarz, born in Zaidín in 1954, is a storyteller, cultural critic, essayist and researcher. She is the author of La terra retirada (1993) and La palmera de blat (1995), which together with Labor inacabada make up the Tríptic de la terra trilogy (2020): ‘If there was any doubt that Mercè Ibarz is one of the greats of contemporary Catalan literature, a pioneer in so many ways, it will be laid to rest immediately with Tríptic de la terra.’ (Andreu Gomila, Time Out); ‘Ibarz is brilliant and, here, she shows it more than ever, because it is not the story that dominates, but rather the characters and the experience.’ (David Castillo, La República). She also published the short story collections A la ciutat en obres (2002) and Febre de carrer (2005), which have now been compiled in Contes urbans: ‘In Mercè Ibarz’s stories, real experience is transfigured, like images from dreams.’ (Julià Guillamon, La Vanguardia), No parlis de mi quan me’n vagi (2010), Vine com estàs (2013), L’amic de la Finca Roja (2017) and Retrat de Mercè Rodoreda (2022). In 2023, she won the Career Award thanks to the pioneering nature of her work, characterised by a fusion of genres and disciplines. Her most recent book is No pensis, mira.

Other activities involving the participant:

Tribute to Mercé Rodoreda. The most universal Catalan author
The other side of the essay

Paulina Flores

Paulina Flores (Santiago, Chile, 1988) es licenciada en Literatura Hispánica por la Universidad de Chile y tiene un máster en Escritura Creativa por la Universidad Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona. Su primer libro, un conjunto de nueve relatos publicados bajo el título Qué vergüenza (Hueders, Santiago, 2015; Seix Barral, Barcelona, 2016), fue traducido a múltiples idiomas y seleccionado como uno de los diez mejores libros por El País. La obra obtuvo el Premio Roberto Bolaño, el Premio del Círculo de Críticos, el Premio Municipal de Literatura y en 2019 el Bauer Giovanni, en Venecia.

Es autora también de la novela Isla Decepción (Seix Barral, 2021), con la que obtuvo el Premio LINC al mejor libro del año en la categoría de ficción, y fue traducida al inglés, japonés y holandés, entre otros idiomas. Ha sido profesora y conductora del podcast Confieso que he leído; realiza charlas y talleres sobre procesos creativos de escritura, y colabora como columnista en El País.

Other activities involving the participant:

Bolaño's transatlantic heritage
Presentation of Babelia

Juan Pablo Villalobos

Juan Pablo Villalobos has lived in Barcelona since 2003. All of his novels have been published by Anagrama and translated into more than fifteen languages: They include Down the Rabbit Hole (And Other Stories), described as ‘Funny, convincing, appalling’ by Ali Smith, and ‘a superb fable with a cruelly happy ending that reads like an initiation novel fizzing with carbonation’ by Laura Fernández; Quesadillas, praised as ‘a work that plays with notions of magic realism. But it is Villalobos’s quirky, laconic style that most impresses and marks him out as a writer of distinction’ (Lucy Popescu, The Independent); I’ll Sell You a Dog, acclaimed as ‘one of the most ingenious, playful and enjoyable books published in Spanish in a long time’ (Alberto Manguel); I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me (Herralde Prize, 2016), lauded because ‘the author’s intelligence prevails… a hugely valuable literary proposition’ (Francisco Solano, El País); Invasion of the Spirit People, called ‘very entertaining, as agile as a happy walker, a celebration of friendship, of hope’ (Nadal Suau, El Mundo); Peluquería y letras (Hairdressing and Letters), described as ‘a novel about a domestic epic, about banal gestures that interlock to form an intense, personal family tableau full of absurd, at times surreal, scenes’ (Ricardo Baixeras, El Periódico); ‘as if Buster Keaton finally tried to hint at a smile. A novel without conflict, about happiness’ (Daniel Fermín, Zenda); and El pasado anda atrás de nosotros (The Past Walks Behind Us). He has also published the non‑fiction book The Other Side, described as ‘a harrowing chronicle of Central American migration to the US… Outstanding’ (Luisgé Martín).

Other activities involving the participant:

Conference in four movements: a brief history of Latin American literature in Barcelona
What's up with Catalan?

Paulina Flores

Paulina Flores (Santiago, Chile, 1988) es licenciada en Literatura Hispánica por la Universidad de Chile y tiene un máster en Escritura Creativa por la Universidad Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona. Su primer libro, un conjunto de nueve relatos publicados bajo el título Qué vergüenza (Hueders, Santiago, 2015; Seix Barral, Barcelona, 2016), fue traducido a múltiples idiomas y seleccionado como uno de los diez mejores libros por El País. La obra obtuvo el Premio Roberto Bolaño, el Premio del Círculo de Críticos, el Premio Municipal de Literatura y en 2019 el Bauer Giovanni, en Venecia.

Es autora también de la novela Isla Decepción (Seix Barral, 2021), con la que obtuvo el Premio LINC al mejor libro del año en la categoría de ficción, y fue traducida al inglés, japonés y holandés, entre otros idiomas. Ha sido profesora y conductora del podcast Confieso que he leído; realiza charlas y talleres sobre procesos creativos de escritura, y colabora como columnista en El País.

Other activities involving the participant:

Benvinguts: arriving in Barcelona
Presentation of Babelia

Eduard Olesti

Invitado de Honor

Eduard Olesti was born in 1995 in Barcelona. He has published the poetry collections Sarcop and Un cowboy crepuscular (A Crepuscular Cowboy). He has worked in theatre – as a playwright and director – and in other areas of the arts and culture. Gossos dempeus (Dogs Standing) is his first novel.

Other activities involving the participant:

Barcelona today: a transformation

Laia Vilaseca

Invitado de Honor

Laia Vilaseca (Barcelona, 1981), a passionate fan of mystery, true crime and noir fiction, is a writer and journalist.
In 2021, her novel La noia del vestit blau (The Girl in the Blue Dress) was published by Rosa dels Vents after becoming a best-seller during the three years it was self-published on Amazon. This brought her to an even wider readership and established her as the breakout Catalan crime author of the year.
With Quan la neu es fon (When the Thaw Arrives), she captivated readers with a fast-paced, gripping thriller in which nature and mystery once again take centre stage, and in which her passion for true crime and suspense is more evident than ever. The novel won Best Novel of 2022 at the Lloret Negre festival.
L’Illa del Silenci (The Island of Silence) is her fourth novel, a piece of rural noir that shows that no matter how much time passes, there are deaths that cannot be overcome until justice is served.
L’udol de l’aigua (The Howl of the Water) is her fifth novel.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

(Literally) killers in Barcelona

Gabi Martínez

Invitado de Honor

Escritor, guionista y periodista. Considerado uno de los renovadores de la literatura de viajes en el Estado español, su trayectoria como escritor también lo ha vinculado a la literNatura. Es uno de los impulsores de Liternatura, un festival que invita a repensar la relación entre personas, creación y naturaleza. Su mirada sobre nuestra relación con la naturaleza queda patente en obras como Un cambio de verdad (Seix Barral, 2020), una crónica sobre la experiencia radical de una vida rural que se resiste a ser borrada por la expansión urbana, o en el libro ilustrado Animales invisibles. Mito, vida y extinción (Nórdica Libros y Capitán Swing, 2021), en el que, en colaboración con Jordi Serrallonga, explora cómo el mundo salvaje continúa estimulando el imaginario y la realidad de la humanidad en todo el planeta. Recientemente ha publicado Delta (Seix Barral, 2023) obra en la que nos describe la vibrante diversidad y las culturas locales de un ecosistema tensionado y en peligro de extinción.

Other activities involving the participant:

Ciudad y Naturaleza José Emilio Pacheco Award 2025
Liternature

Miguel Pajares

Escritor y antropólogo, se especializa en migración, asilo y derechos humanos. Es también investigador de la Universidad de Barcelona, donde forma parte del Grupo de Investigación sobre Exclusión y Control Social. Actualmente,  funge como Presidente de la Comisión Catalana de Ayuda al Refugiado, además de ser corresponsal en España del Sistema de Observación Permanente de las Migraciones de la OCDE y experto del Comité Económico y Social Europeo para temas de inmigración y asilo. Además de diversos artículos en revistas especializadas, es autor de, entre otras obras, Aguas de venganza (2016), Crímenes de hambre (2018), Refugiados climáticos (2020) y Bla-bla-bla. El mito del capitalismo ecológico (2023).

Álvaro Colomer

Invitado de Honor

Writer and journalist. He is the author of a trilogy on the death of the city – La calle de los suicidios (Suicide Street) (Círculo de Lectores, 2000), Mimodrama de una ciudad muerta (Mimodrama of a Dead City) (Siruela, 2004) and Los bosques de Upsala (The Forests of Uppsala) (Alfaguara, 2009) – as well as Aunque caminen por el valle de la muerte (Even Though They Walk Through the Valley of Death) (Random House, 2017), a novel based on real events which reconstructs the Battle of Najaf (Iraq). He has also published the non-fiction works Se alquila una mujer (Woman for Hire) (MR, 2002) and Guardianes de la memoria (Guardians of Memory) (MR, 2008; Fórcola, 2020), a travel book that earned him the International Award for Excellence in Journalism. He is also the author of books for children and young adults.
After three decades contributing to a range of media outlets, he is now editorial coordinator at Zenda magazine, a regular contributor to the ‘Cultura/s’ supplement (La Vanguardia) and a frequent guest on the radio programme A vivir (Cadena Ser). He also teaches in the Master’s in Publishing at the UPF School of Management, among other roles.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

Writing to acknowledge 50 years of loyalty
Barcelona today: a transformation
Learn how to write
The seduction of historical figures
Expanded noir literature
Tribute to Ana María Matute. Grand literature
(Literally) killers in Barcelona
From where one writes
Literary agencies in Barcelona

Txell Feixas

Invitado de Honor

Txell Feixas Torras, born in Mediona in 1979, is a journalist. She has worked in Beirut as a Middle East correspondent for the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation. She covered the war against the Islamic State in Iraq, the fall of the Caliphate from Rojava and the Great March of Return in Gaza, among other crucial events in the area.
Before that, she followed the kidnapping of the Barcelona Acció Solidària volunteers in Mauritania, for which Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility, and the humanitarian crisis at the Ceuta border fence
with Morocco, among other various conflicts. She has published Dones valentes and Aliades with Ara Llibres.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

Feminist gaze and male guilt

Alba Muñoz

Invitado de Honor

Journalist and writer. She has worked as an independent reporter in various parts of the world, most notably the Balkans, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. From 2018 to 2019, she lived in South Africa, where she contributed to El País and 5W. For five years, she was a writer and editor at the online magazine PlayGround, specialising in digital journalism and feminism. She has also written for the BBC, El Mundo, ElDiario.es and other media. Her first documentary, Now You Are a Woman, won the Audience Award at the FIRE!! festival in 2019. Between May and June 2023, she took part in the Finestres literary residency. She currently works in communications and as a scriptwriter for audiovisual projects.

Other activities involving the participant:

The journey that transforms
Reframing feminism: motherhood, surrogacy, and other ongoing struggles

Marta Orriols

Invitado de Honor

Marta Orriols lives in Barcelona. She trained as an art historian and has also worked in film scriptwriting. She contributes regularly to various magazines and newspapers. A keen admirer of Anglo‑Saxon literature, she oversaw the Spanish-language edition of the short‑story anthology by Edna O’Brien The Love Object (Objeto de amor, Lumen, 2018). She made her début with Lumen through the short‑story collection Anatomía de las distancias cortas (Anatomy of Short Distances) (2017), which had already been published in Catalan in 2016 and was met with accolades. Within less than a month, it became a best‑seller and was included among the recommended Christmas reads, and Granta magazine selected one of her stories for its Spanish‑language edition. Her first novel, Learning to Talk to Plants (Lumen, 2018 [English publication: Pushkin Press, 2020]), was awarded the Òmnium Prize for the best Catalan‑language novel of 2018 and the L’Illa dels Llibres Prize, and has been translated into eleven languages. Dulce introducción al caos (Sweet Introduction to Chaos) is her most recent novel.

Other activities involving the participant:

Friendship

Arià Paco

Invitado de Honor

Arià Paco (Igualada, 1993) és doctor en filosofia por la Universidad de Arizona. Ha publicado tres novelas en catalán, Mentir a les mosques (2020)  y Covarda, vella, tan salvatge (2022), Premio Roc Boronat, y éste 2025 ha sido ganador del Premi Llibres Anagrama de Novel.la con la novela Teoria del joc, que ahora se publica en castellano como Teoría del juego. Colabora en distintos medios digitales y podcasts culturales.

Other activities involving the participant:

Sexual awakening

Bel Olid

Invitado de Honor

Bel Olid (Mataró, 1977) is a writer and translator, as well as the coordinator of the Catalan Studies programme at the University of Chicago, where they teach language and literature.
Their work, which engages with contemporary debates on gender, identity and sexuality, has been translated into several languages. In September they will publish the essay La mare incompleta (The Incomplete Mother), which explores the hidden costs of assisted reproduction.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

The right to language
From where one writes
Bodies in transit: writing the self beyond labels

Txell Feixas

Invitado de Honor

Txell Feixas Torras, born in Mediona in 1979, is a journalist. She has worked in Beirut as a Middle East correspondent for the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation. She covered the war against the Islamic State in Iraq, the fall of the Caliphate from Rojava and the Great March of Return in Gaza, among other crucial events in the area.
Before that, she followed the kidnapping of the Barcelona Acció Solidària volunteers in Mauritania, for which Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility, and the humanitarian crisis at the Ceuta border fence
with Morocco, among other various conflicts. She has published Dones valentes and Aliades with Ara Llibres.
 

Other activities involving the participant:

Reading and writing in times of war