HAY FESTIVAL SEGOVIA - 2022

FROM WEB TO PAPER

Joana Marcús, an early reader and writer, discovered Wattpad, a digital platform where users can read online or share their own stories, at the age of eleven. By the age of 15, she had published six stories, including Irresistible Propuesta, which garnered 300,000 views. Now she has leapt Cross books, which has published her trilogy Fuego. This same platform put Iria G. Parente, writer and publicist, in contact with Selene M. Pascual, with whom she creates her novels for young readers. After several titles, Secretos de luna llena gave rise to one of her most successful sagas, Marabilia, which was published by Nocturna and is currently in production for television.

Joana Marcús and Iria G. Parente will talk with her editor, Rosa Samper.

Event in Spanish

Once the event has finished, the authors will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

ARCHITECTURE, SUSTAINABILITY AND DESIGN

The Munch in Oslo is one of those new pieces of architecture that are establishing Oslo's image as a capital of sustainable, egalitarian and civilised modernity. It is the latest work by Spanish architect Juan Herreros, whose career includes other art-related creations. The verticality of the museum is one of its most outstanding features. "A disruptive idea, like hanging paintings along a spiral ramp," said the studio's directors, referring to Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim in New York. At this Hay Festival, Herreros will speak about architecture, design, sustainability and interaction with the environment, as the dynamic nature of this centre allows visitors to discover both Munch's work and Oslo; the scale of the city further revealed the higher you go.

He will talk with Martin Braathen, architect and Senior Curator of Architecture at the National Museum, Oslo, M.Arch in Architecture, PhD in Architecture history (2019), formerly editor of journal Arkitektnytt, and acting director of Oslo Architecture Triennale. Braathen has many years of experience as a freelance architecture critic and writer and curator.

The event will be presented by Edgar Gonzalez, Associate Dean at IE School of Architecture and Design.

Picture: Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design

The event is in English and Spanish with simultaneous translation into Spanish and English.

MERITOCRACY AND ELITISM

Santiago Iñiguez, Executive President of IE University and an international expert in education, brings together a group of experts to debate the meaning of meritocracy and its implications in education and other spheres of social life. The historian, journalist and member of parliament, Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo; the researcher on subjects related to international terrorism and member of the Assembly of Madrid, Hana Jalloul; the author of >The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made it to the Modern World and international journalist, Adrian Wooldridge; and the Financial Times columnist Simon Kuper, author of Chums: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories Took Over the UK reflect with Iñiguez on the impact of this phenomenon in history and the future of our societies.

Once the event has finished, the authors will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

With simultaneous translation from English into Spanish and vice versa

IMAGINE... HUMANITY. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED

What do a refugee, a high-level politician and a carbon atom on the other side of the world have in common? All of them share the same pattern of existence. The prominent conceptual and multimedia artist Kate Daddy, who has worked on major international projects; and the scientist and artist Sir Konstantin Novoselov, winner of the 2010 Novel Prize for Physics, have been working since 2017 on a humanitarian art and science project whose goal is to explore how Everything Is Connected and to invite the public to reflect on these connections. Daddy and Novoselov, who will undertake an artistic intervention as part of the Hay Festival, believe that it is worth considering interconnection when assessing our behaviour: our lives are what our thoughts make them. They will talk at this event about their project, which has involved collaboration with different NGOs and institutions linked to humanitarian work in the context of aid and development cooperation.

They will talk to Javier Gila, chair of the Aida: Ayuda, Intercambio y Desarrollo association, who has been working with them on the project.

With simultaneous translation from English to Spanish and vice versa

A LOOK TO THE OCEAN

Tiago Pitta e Cunha is one of the most significant international personalities on issues related to the oceans and the changes that need to happen in our attitude towards them. He has worked for over two decades to put maritime issues on political and institutional agendas. He has coordinated the European Union’s Integrated Maritime Policy at the office of the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and has represented Portugal and the EU at the UN in various international bodies dedicated to all matters related to the sea. Also director of the Oceano Azul Foundation, in 2021 he received the Pessoa Prize, awarded annually to Portuguese nationals who have distinguished themselves as outstanding figures in scientific, artistic or literary life. He will talk with Jesus Calero, director of ABC Cultural, who researches oceans and their shipwrecks,

They will discuss the need to care for the oceans with journalist and poet Carlos Aganzo.

With simultaneous translation from Portuguese to Spanish and vice versa.

CULTURE WILL SAVE THE PLANET

Santiago Beruete, writer and philosopher, author of Verdolatria, Aprendivoros and Jardinosofia, and Alejandro Quevedo del Val, young eco-social activist and author of the essay Guitar lo que está Callado, will explore ways out of the Ecosocial Crisis produced by the Anthropocene: ecological, social and cultural transitions necessary to put an end to this state of war with the planet.

Moderated by Beatriz González, director of De Conatus publishing house

Event in Spanish

Signing at the stand of Calle Real

ON DETECTIVES AND COMETS

Novels like The Man Who Loved Dogs and Como el Polvo en el Viento have made Leonardo Padura one of the major voices in Spanish-language fiction. The creator of the detective Mario Conde has set the latest title in this series, Personas decentes, in his native city, Havana; the action takes place in 2016 while the city is preparing to receive the president of the United States, Barack Obama, as part of what was to become known as the Cuban Thaw. The book deals with the events surrounding the appearance of a murdered former member of the Cuban government found dead in his apartment. The story also takes us back to the city a century previously, at a time when the arrival of Halley’s comet was expected. Padura, who is a fiction writer, journalist and screenwriter, is a Princess of Asturias Literature prize-winner.

The Cuban writer will talk to the novelist and journalist Jesús Ruiz Mantilla, the author of Papel and other works.

Event in Spanish

The writers will sign copies of their works at the stand located opposite the IE University

CULTURE WILL SAVE THE PLANET

Santiago Beruete, writer and philosopher, author of Verdolatria, Aprendivoros and Jardinosofia, and Alejandro Quevedo del Val, young eco-social activist and author of the essay Guitar lo que está Callado, will explore ways out of the Ecosocial Crisis produced by the Anthropocene: ecological, social and cultural transitions necessary to put an end to this state of war with the planet.

Moderated by Beatriz González, director of De Conatus publishing house

Event in Spanish

Signing at the stand of Calle Real

A THOUSAND YEARS OF JOYS AND SORROWS

Ai Weiwei, one of China's most internationally renowned artists, both for his creative activity and his political activism, will come to the Hay Festival in a streamed event. His memoirs, entitled 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows, explore themes that touch on the very core of the Hay as a Festival of creation and thought: freedom of expression and activism, cultural and political history, as well as his creative life. His is a career that has not been limited to the visual arts but encompasses other fields such as architecture (he participated in the design of Beijing’s National Stadium), music and film. In the book, the artist recounts his life in the United States from 1983 to 1993, and his rise to the status of a superstar in the world of art.

Ai Weiwei will be in conversation with Anne McElvoy, British journalist and executive editor at The Economist, who has previously served as policy editor and head of audio. The Economist Ask, the bi-weekly Thursday programme/podcast conducted by McElvoy, has brought together hundreds of leading newsmakers from around the world.

The event is in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish.

FROM RUSSIA TO JERUSALEM

Historian, television presenter, fiction writer and essayist, Simon Sebag Montefiore was present for the last days of the Soviet Union and travelled around the region during the 1990s. He has written on Russia for The Sunday Times, The New York Times and The Spectator, among other magazines and newspapers. A number of his book, including Stalin>: The Court of the Red Tsar, Titans of History and Jerusalem: The Biography has been translated into Spanish. The last book published in Spain by this writer, a descendent of a distinguished family of Sephardic Jews that had branches all over Europe, has been Written in History, a compilation of important letters written about politics, culture and art by great figures who have influenced our past.

Sebag Montefiore will talk to the British journalist Martin Ivens, Editor of The Times Literary Supplement.

Once the event has finished, the author will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

With simultaneous translation from English into Spanish

GONCOURT PRIZE FRANCE

He said in an interview that Roberto Bolaño changed his life as a reader and as a writer. Senegalese author Mohamed Mbougar Sarr won the prestigious Goncourt Prize in 2021 with his novel La plus secrète mémoire des hommes (The Most Secret Memory of Men), the title referencing Bolaño's famous book Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives). The work is inspired by the life of the Malian writer Yambo Ouologuem, critic of colonialism, and the great tragedies of the 20th century, and is based on the relationship between the West and the African continent. He received prizes for titles such as La Cale, Terre ceinte and Silence du choeur before winning the most prestigious prize in French literature.

He will talk with Jacinta Cremades, literary critic and author of the novel Regreso a París.

The event will be presented by Isabelle Berneron, attachée for books, ideas and media networks at the Institut Français D'Espagne.

Event in French, with simultaneous translation into Spanish

There will be a book-signing at the bookstands in front of the IE University

MUSEUMS AND NEW URBANISM

Like other major European cities, Budapest has its own "island of museums"; our modern-day sites of pilgrimage. This is the context of the Liget project, an urban and cultural development plan that has transformed the Hungarian capital, involving several museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts. The director, László Baán, who is also in charge of Liget, will be at the Hay Festival to explain and elaborate on the project, and how it relates to comparable projects in Europe.

Isabel Fuentes, PhD in Museology of Natural and Human Sciences, has spent twenty years working in scientific communication and cultural management in institutions such as the Residencia de Estudiantes, the National Museum of Natural Sciences and the La Caixa Foundation. She is currently the director of CaixaForum and an expert in the transformation that a museum can bring about in the city in which it is installed.

Baán and Fuentes will talk with Miquel Molina, journalist and writer, assistant director of the newspaper La Vanguardia.

Event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish and vice versa

A bitter cocktail of high inflation, low growth, spiralling energy costs and war is fuelling fears that Europe may be returning to the hard times of the past. The 20´s? The 70´s? How can it rise to the challenge?

The Financial Times Weekend brings to Segovia exceptional panels to debate this new time for Europe, moderated by its senior editor, Andrew Hill together joined by Pilita Clark, associate editor and business columnist at the Financial Times who writes a weekly column on modern corporate life. The line-up covers the sociopolitical context, with Ivan Krastev, a political scientist, chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia and columnist for the FT; the economic turnouts with Professor Gayle Allard from IE Business School, the legal and political overview of decades of leadership by former Mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena and the reading from the classics by humanist, bestselling author and political leader, Emilio del Rio.

The event in English with simultaneous translation

A CHILDHOOD OF SUFFERING

In "Falling Is Like Flying" the Dutch writer Manon Uphoff recreates a childhood of terror, marked by a tyrannical and abusive father one who, at the same time, had a perverse charm. The death of her older sister was the trigger for Uphoff to begin writing, not a typical autobiographical chronicle, but creating a symbolic and poetic universe that connects the traumas of her past with Greek mythology, fairy tales and science. The work was shortlisted for the Libris Literature Prize and also won the Charlotte Köhler Award. Previously, Uphoff has published Begeerte, a collection of short stories, and the novel Gemis, also shortlisted for the Libris Prize.

She will talk to the journalist Irene Hernández Velasco, who has been a correspondent in various countries and currently works for El Mundo newspaper.

Once the event has finished, the author will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

With simultaneous translation from English into Spanish

DEMOCRATIC VALUES

Mark Muller Stuart QC is a leading barrister specialising in international law, terrorism and human rights litigation. He has been a member of the Queen's Counsel since 2006 and advises numerous international law organisations.

He has also written a number of books and reports on human rights and conflict-related areas, having conducted international missions in Afghanistan, Sudan, Palestine, Iraq, Oman, Bahrain, Syria, Libya, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, India, Cuba, Colombia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Afghanistan. He is co-founder of the Delfina Arts Foundation, as well as founder and executive director of Beyond Borders, an international platform based in Scotland that works to break down borders between peoples and help facilitate wider international cultural exchange, dialogue and reconciliation.

Álvaro Gil Robles is a prestigiuos Spanish politician and lawyer, former Ombudsman and the first Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe. He has held several positions in important official bodies, among them, candidate of the European Court of Human Rights, integrating the Selection Committe, the body in charge of the Peace Agreement between the Government and the FAR, and selecting the magistrates of the special jurisdiction for the Peace Process of Colombia with President Juan Manuel Santos. He has written several books and articles in his field of expertise, including: Los Nuevos Límites de la Tutela Judicial (The New Limits of Judicial Protection). He is the President of the Valsain Foundation for the promotion and defence of democratic values, founded with a group of friends with significant work in the dissemination of these values.

Event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish

ANIMAL LANGUAGE AND DEPRESSION

"Humans have spent decades trying to teach other animals our language... but have made little effort to learn theirs.” So says Eva Meijer, writer, philosopher and singer-songwriter, who bases much of her work on questions of language, both political and animal, since writing her award-winning doctoral thesis: Cuando los animales hablan (When Animals Speak). Her sixth novel, Sea: now, has been translated into eighteen languages. Her biography includes a long history of struggling and living with depression. This is the subject of one of her latest works translated in Spain: The limits of my language. Meditations on depression. She publishes essays and columns in the media in her native Netherlands.

Eva Meijer will talk to Jesús Ruiz Mantilla, journalist and writer, author, among other works, of Papel

There will be a book-signing at the bookstand in front of IE University

Event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish

REALITY AND FICTION

In 2010, Nicola Laiogia was named one of the best Italian writers under the age of forty. Twelve years later, five novels translated into fifteen languages confirm the early acclaim. The City of the Living, based on a real crime that shocked Italy, has just been published in Spain. Laiogia is also a member of the jury of the Venice Film Festival, director of the Turin International Book Fair and a contributor to Radio 3. His novels also include Ferocity.

The Italian writer will talk with another prominent, Spanish author, Manuel Jabois, journalist and storyteller, author of novels such as Malaherba and Miss Marte and non-fiction books such as Nos vemos en esta vida o en la otra and Irse a Madrid.

The authors will sign copies of their works at the bookstand in front of IE University

With simultaneous translation from Italian to Spanish and from Spanish to Italian and vice versa

RUSSIA AFTER THE EMPIRE OF THE TSARS

Russia is the latest work by the British historian and novelist, Antony Beevor. This World War II specialist returns to non-fiction, and to an area he knows well: Russia after the tsars. The struggle that took place between 1917 and 1921 between an alliance of moderate socialists and reactionary monarchists, and Trotsky’s Red Army, as well as Lenin’s subsequent dictatorship, are the themes of this work, which draws on the latest scholarship in the field. The book depicts this period and its conflicts as a world war by proxy, through the eyes of different figures, including a worker in the streets of Petrograd, a cavalry officer, and a woman doctor in a makeshift hospital. This multi-award-winning author, translated into over thirty languages (published in Spanish by Crítica), will talk to one of our most prestigious writers, the academic Antonio Muñoz Molina, the author of titles such as El jinete polaco and Volver a dónde.

The event will be presented by Carmen Esteban, CEO of Crítica publishing house.

Once the event has finished, the authors will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

With simultaneous translation from English into Spanish and vice versa

THE MYSTERIES OF THE MIND

Mariano Sigman is one of the world's leading neuroscientists, with more than 150 publications in the most prestigious scientific journals. He is also passionate about experimentation and has worked with magicians, chefs, chess players, musicians, sportsmen and visual artists, bringing together neuroscience expertise and different aspects of human culture to apply them in different environments. He is the author of the bestseller The Secret Life of the Mind. In his lectures he explores what lessons can be drawn from mental functioning in areas such as decision-making, leadership, team management, personal development and creative skills, always making use of experiments and games to ensure a high level of audience participation.

Anne McElvoy has been policy editor, and head of audio at The Economist, and is now executive editor. The Economist Asks, her weekly Thursday interview show/podcast, has gathered hundreds of high-profile newsmakers from all around the world.

There will be a book signing at the bookstand in front of IE University

Event with simultaneous translation from English to Spanish and vice versa

Miquel Barceló's latest works, a series of large-scale still lifes, will be the main focus of this internationally renowned Spanish artist’s appearance at the Hay Festival. The pieces are to be exhibited at the Thaddeus Ropac gallery in Pantin on the outskirts of Paris in October, and one will be part of an exhibition on the genre of still life at the Louvre in Paris. Associated with neo-expressionism, Barceló's work has evolved to become one of the most original on the European scene.

Barceló will be in conversation with the writer and exhibition curator Enrique Juncosa. He was director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin from 2003 to 2012, for which he received the Order of Civil Merit. Before that, he was deputy director of IVAM and the Reina Sofía Museum. He has curated more than 70 exhibitions in major museums around the world.

The event will be presented by Sofía Barroso.

Event in Spanish

ON LOVE AND ITS DEMISE

Liv Strömquist's latest book, I Don't Feel Anything Anymore, dissects love in the age of narcissism and the selfie. In her ironic, hilarious comic, she mixes philosophy, sociology and popular culture (Kierkegaard and the Smurfs, Socrates and Beyoncé), in an X-ray of love and its end. Strömquist is one of Sweden's most prestigious cartoonists, as well as a popular radio and television broadcaster. She is also a committed feminist and political asylum activist. She has published, among other works, The Forbidden Fruit and Prince Charles’ Feelings.

Strömquist will be in conversation with journalist and writer Nuria Labari.

There will be a book-signing at the bookstand in front of IE University

Event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish

BRITISH COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL EQUITY SERIES

How do new generations experience their relationship to identity, history, love or the concept of revolution? Yara Rodrigues Fowler is one of the most emblematic up-and-coming British writers on the current literary scene. She was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award for her debut, Stubborn Archivist. The Financial Times named her as one of "the 30 most exciting young people on the planet" as one of the designers of a bot that encouraged Tinder users to register to vote in the 2017 UK general election. Fowler's new novel, There are more things, revolves around the political awakening of Melissa and Catarina, two London flatmates with roots in Brazil.

Hanan Issa is a writer, poet, and artist from Wales. Her debut pamphlet My Body Can House Two Hearts was published by Burning Eye Books in 2019. Her work has been performed and published in a variety of places including BBC Wales, ITV Wales, Huffington Post, StAnza festival and Poetry Wales. Her winning monologue was performed at the Bush Theatre in 2018. She is the co-founder of the Where I’m Coming From open mic collective. She is currently working on short film commissions with BBC New Creatives and Ffilm Cymru Wales. Hanan Issa has been named Wales fifth national poet, making her the first Muslim to hold the title. Hanan has recently been awarded the 2022/23 Cymrodoriaeth Rhyngwladol Hay Festival / Hay Festival International Fellowship.

For her part, Xita Rubert has won over readers and critics with a fascinating debut, My Days with the Kopps, in which she wonders whether growing up is to enter a fiction of no-return. Rubert graduated in Philosophy and Literature from the University of Warwick, after studying at universities such as the Sorbonne. She currently holds a PhD in Comparative Literature, on a scholarship from Princeton University, where she teaches on the relationship between philosophy, literature and medicine.

They will be in conversation with Ludovic Assémat, Head of Arts at the British Council in Spain.

Once the event has finished, the authors will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

With simultaneous translation from English to Spanish

DIALOGUES WITH THE EARTH. ABOUT WATER, HEAT AND BUTTERFLIES

This summer's heat waves, water scarcity, fires, have put the effects of climate change at the center of the debate more than ever. Meteorological phenomena and interventions on nature are causing alert about our future and that of the planet. Butterflies are disappearing. The deterioration of their habitats due to the use of pesticides, industrial fertilizers and monoculture farming has meant that the numbers of these insects have dropped by 80% in the last fifty years, and the threat of their disappearance is becoming ever more real. The problem goes far beyond the sad loss of some wonderful insects: this is an ecological catastrophe. The renowned evolutionary biologist and ecologist Josef H. Reichholf, winner of the Sigmund Freud Award for Scientific Literature, has been studying lepidopterans for years, and is the author of The Disappearance of Butterflies, a fascinating work of non-fiction about these insects and a cry for help in the face of the disaster of their decline. For his part, Joaquin Araujo, naturalist, author, screenwriter and series director, who stands out among many for having been the first Spaniard to be awarded the UN Global 500 and the Wilderness Writing Award and for being the only Spaniard to be awarded twice the National Prize for the Environment, makes us aware of the biological and poetic importance of water, through his latest book “Somos agua que piensa” "We are water that thinks".

Both will converse with Isabela del Alcázar, Global Head of Sustainability at the IE University. As one example projects under her office: The Nurture Hub, a project founded by two students of the School of Architecture and Design and their mentor to create a space for relax for the students, enhance the biodiversity, raise awareness and attract indigenous pollinators, such as butterflies.

Once the event has finished, the authors will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

Simultaneous translation from German to Spanish and vice versa

DECISIVE EMOTIONS

Emotions have played an important role in the development of civilisations throughout history, from Ancient Greece to the present day. Richard Firth-Godbehere, author of A Human History of Emotion: How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know, his expertise in psychology, neuroscience, art, philosophy and religion to show that some of the most exceptional moments in history were not about events, but about feelings: the origins of philosophy, the birth of Christianity, the fall of Rome, the scientific revolution or the great wars of the 20th Century would not be understood without them. We must therefore ask ourselves to what extent emotions and emotional intelligence are important for our generations. Along with Lee Newman, behavioural science expert and Dean of IE Business School, he will discuss how emotions drive our behaviour and decision-making.

They will be joined by Jonathan Moules, journalist, newsletter editor and writer on The Week Ahead for the Financial Times.

Once the event has finished, the authors will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

The event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish

TALKING ABOUT CULTURE AND TALENT

Innovation and progress in society cannot be understood without bringing in a profound knowledge of the humanities and culture. Hay Festival Segovia has invited two innovators in their fields: Pablo Isla, the new Chair of the IE University Advisory Board, was considered one of the world’s top CEOs by international management magazines during his time at the head of Inditex; and Rodrigo Cortés, a director, actor, producer, screenwriter, aphorist and novelist with an impressive international career. Nothing seems to be beyond this writer, closely linked to Salamanca. Aged just 25 he was already filming videos for Alejandro Amenábar and he has not hesitated to undertake projects with Hollywood stars such as Robert de Niro, Sigourney Weaver and Uma Thurman, or a cast of over ten young international actors for his latest film, Love Gets a Room.

Once the event has finished, the authors will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

Event in Spanish

FROM THE DISCOVERY OF THE GRAPHENE TO SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS

The discovery by the Russian-British scientist, Sir Konstantin Novoselov, of graphene, won him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010. His discovery brings us a material that has numerous applications in our daily lives (in thermal and fire-resistant clothing, for example) and it has made him known around the world. He is currently working with the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials at the National University of Singapore, where he researches intelligent materials that can mutate to adapt to certain requirements. However, Novoselov is not the kind of scientist who never leaves the laboratory. Quite the opposite, he pays great attention to the geopolitics of technologies and is an advocate against the concentration of all stages of production in a single country, a trend that is growing after the pandemic. He says that all of us become poorer in this way, and his position is that a region is strong not when it leads in a particular technology, but when it can educate, attract and retain talents able to design various technologies since it is not yet clear what will be necessary for our future.

Novoselov will talk to Diego del Alcázar Benjumea, Executive Vice-president of IE University and the man in charge of this university’s technological immersion.

With simultaneous translation from English to Spanish and vice versa

LOEWE FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL POETRY AWARD

The Mexican psychiatrist Orlando Mondragón is the first poet aged under 30 to win the prestigious Loewe Prize. His award-winning poetry book, Cuadernos de patología human, deals with illness and death, but it is also concerned with writing and resurrection. Mondragón, who works as a hospital psychiatrist, seeks beauty through difficult situations, often ones that seem incommunicable. He is also the author of the book Epicedio al padre, winner of the Alejandro Aura Prize for Young Poets.

Mondragón will talk to Antonio Lucas, author of, among other books, Los desengaños, for which he was awarded the Loewe Prize in 2014.

Event in Spanish

Signing stands in front of the IE University building

THE RETURN OF MAIGRET

The name of George Simenon is linked to the astronomical figures racked up by the sales of almost two hundred titles (191 to be exact): 550 million copies sold to many millions of readers around the world. A big part of this stellar success is Inspector Maigret, who features in almost a hundred of his novels. Now the name of this prolific and bestselling writer, born in Belgium and who lived in Paris for much of his life, is becoming literary news again thanks to new editions of some of his novels, published together by Anagrama and Acantilado, as well as with to recent release of the film Maigret by Patrice Leconte, starring Gerard Depardieu. Talking about Simenon and the revived interest in his life and work will be his son John Simenon, who manages his father’s bequest and has been involved in the production of some of the films based on his work.

He will talk to Jesús García Calero, Editor of ABC cultural.

The event will be presented by Florence van Vanhosbeeck, economic and commercial counsellor and representative of Wallonia-Brussels International.

With simultaneous translation from English to Spanish and vice versa

John Simenon will visit the stand on Calle Real organized by Wallonia Region, which will prepare a quiz based on the work of his father.

ARCHITECTURE AND NATURE

The House of Hungarian Music, a landmark centre dedicated to music in Budapest's City Park and one of Sou Fujimoto's latest works, opened its doors to the public in January. Martha Thorne, Dean of IE University's School of Architecture, prominent urban planner and former Executive Director of the Pritzker Prize, will welcome one of Japan's most famous award-winning architects to Hay Festival Segovia. Fujimoto has received important awards in his field, and is known for projects as outstanding as the Serpentine Gallery the Pavilion in Kensington Gardens or the Final Wooden House in Kunamoto, Japan. The architect, who perceives his projects as an understanding of the relationship between architecture, nature and the human body, will discuss his work with Martha Thorne. They will also explore their shared passion for design, creativity and the cultural heritage of architecture.

Event in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish.

FRIENDSHIP AND WISDOM

A brilliant career as a philosopher, writer, academic and professor might be summed up in just one word: wisdom. Emilio Lledó is a wise man, a humanist, and increasingly essential in a world that tends to forget the humanities. He has written dozens of essays on thought, ethics, beauty and freedom, including Filosofía y lenguaje, El silencio de la escritura, Días y libros, Memoria de la ética. He has also received the highest national awards, such as the Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, and the Gold Medal for Fine Arts, and holds the “lowercase L” chair at the Spanish Academy. Identidad y Amistad. Palabras para un Mundo possible (Identity and Friendship. Words for a Possible World) is his latest book.

Lledó will be in conversation with Elena Martínez, the editor at Taurus publishers.

Event in Spanish

Once the event has finished, the author will sign books in the booth outside IE University.

This event invites us to explore reality and imagination from the perspective of the speculative architect and filmmaker Liam Young. The artist will give a performative talk that, through his words and images, will transport us to real and imaginary worlds that invite us to examine our present and rethink our future. The talk will incorporate an exploration of the use of Artificial Intelligence through a conversation between Liam Young and young researcher Piera Riccio.

Artist Liam Young (Australia, 1979) works in a hybrid space where architecture and design, film, science and fiction intersect to generate powerful audiovisual pieces that envision the risks and potential of new technologies. At a time when technological transformation seems to be happening faster than our ability to understand what the effects might be, the worlds that Young constructs invite us to explore their possible outcomes. In his own words, we don’t need more charts and graphs to show us what’s going wrong with the world, we need to dramatize data to get people emotionally engaged.

Liam Young's work has been exhibited in some of the world's leading exhibition spaces, including the MET, MoMA, the Royal Academy and the Venice Biennale. His pieces have also been broadcast on BBC and Channel 4 and he has been nominated for BAFTA awards. He has been a visiting professor at Princeton University and MIT and was on the faculty of the Strelka Institute until its closure.

The young researcher Piera Riccio is working on her doctoral thesis in the field of Artificial Intelligence, with the European ELLIS programme at the University of Alicante and a grant from the Banco Sabadell Foundation for the promotion of young talent. Riccio’s doctoral thesis deals with the social implications of the use of Artificial Intelligence algorithms in social networking platforms and how they are defining the flow of information in our society, thus establishing new paradigms of mass communication.

A WORLD WITHOUT THE INTERNET?

That a majority of the population is dependent on social media, or that the Internet forms an essential part of our lives is no news. Yet what would happen if the Net went down? Some specialists do ask themselves this question, and one of them is Esther Paniagua. In her book, Error 404, she thinks about whether we are prepared for a world without the Internet, and covers the chaos that could break out in the case of an Internet interruption. She also reveals who the guardians of the Web truly are. The book is not a dystopia, but rather an essay aiming to anticipate something that may happen, to allow us to prepare before it is too late. Paniagua is an independent journalist who specializes in science, technology and artificial intelligence.

She will talk to the publisher Miguel Aguilar, manager of imprints such as Taurus and Debate.

Event in Spanish