17 Portuguese and Spanish authors, historians, journalists and actors are part of the Portuguese programme of the 83rd edition of the Madrid Book Fair, which runs until 16 June in the Parque de El Retiro.
On the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, and in the month that marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of Luís de Camões, poetry is in the gardens with 6 Portuguese poets, reflection sessions on the Portuguese revolution and the actor António Fonseca reciting Os Lusíadas for visitors to the Retiro.
Portugal is represented at the Book Fair with a stand in the international zone, in partnership with RELI – Rede de Livrarias Independentes and with the support of Camões, I.P. The Portuguese stand is in Block 28C, no. 4.
The programme kicks off today Thursday at 18.30 with the first session of the Tramas europeas cycle at the BNE – Biblioteca Nacional de España. Under the title Portugal-Spain: 50 years of Culture and Democracy, the Portuguese historian Irene Flunser Pimentel will talk with the journalist Diego Carcedo and the historian Julián Casanova. Portugal thus reinforces its collaboration with the Biblioteca Nacional de España and will be the Focus Country of this cycle in 2024.
Tereixa Constenla and Ricardo Viel will talk about the April Revolution next Friday at 18.30 in the Café Comercial. The El País correspondent in Lisbon has just published the book Abril es un país (Tusquets), which presents some of the characters and epic moments of that April morning that founded Portuguese democracy. Ricardo Viel, director of communications at the José Saramago Foundation, is the author of La Revolución amable (La Umbría y la Solana), which hit bookstores in May.
As part of the Europa Ilustra exhibition, the illustrator Catarina Sobral will be at the Children’s Pavilion of the fair to give a drawing workshop for children called TOI TOI TOI TOI, which will take place on Sunday 9 June at 11 a.m. (+7 years).
On 10 June, Portugal, Camões and Portuguese Communities Day, the journey to India begins with António Fonseca, guided by Camões through Os Lusíadas. For the last 16 years, the actor has dedicated himself to memorising the 8,816 verses of the 10 Cantos of the Portuguese epic that he brings to Madrid. In the JaLEO space, from 6 p.m. onwards.
On 11 and 12 June, Poetry is in the Street. On Tuesday, at 7 p.m., Maria Brás Ferreira, Marta Chaves, Vasco Gato and Luis María Marina come together in a poetic encounter at the Café Comercial. The following day, it is the turn of Catarina Nunes de Almeida, Francisca Camelo and Miguel Martins, who will occupy the room frequented by Antonio Machado and Camilo José Cela, during a poetic dinner from 9 p.m. onwards.
On 13 June, Gonçalo M. Tavares, published in Spain by La Umbría y la Solana and Seix Barral, will present his work in the European Pavilion at 6 p.m., accompanied by the poet, essayist and art critic Enrique Andrés and the professor and translator Antonio Sáez Delgado.
During the Book Fair, the candidatures for the 4th edition of the Literary Residence in Madrid, a project organised by the Portuguese Embassy and the Camões I.P. in collaboration with DGLAB and the Residencia de Estudiantes, will be announced. José Riço Direitinho, Patrícia Portela and André Murraças have been Writers in Residence since the launch of the project in 2021.
Literature meets music in the return of the Fado Festival to Madrid, as previously reported by The Diplomat, in the first days of June with three concerts, a film screening and a lecture by Rui Vieira Nery. Tomorrow, Caminho performs at the Teatro Albéniz, where Cristina Branco will also perform on 8 June; these shows will start at 9pm.
In addition to Fado, Madrid celebrates the piano. Next weekend, Piano City Madrid will once again take over the Spanish capital with free concerts all over the city. This year, the Portuguese pianist Paulo Pacheco will perform at CentroCentro in a concert on Friday 7 June at 8.15 pm.
The Portuguese violinist Madalena Rollo is taking part in the 17th International Classical Music Festival, organised by the Fundación Katarina Gurska. The concert, given by the Orquesta Sinfónica del Real Sitio, will take place in the Teatro Canónigos del Real Sitio de San Ildefonso on 15 June at 8.00 pm. Works by Sibelius and Khachaturian will be performed, conducted by Jaume Santonja. The festival programme continues until July.
