Madrid “lights up” the Guadalajara literary festival

Madrid has taken center stage, showcasing the best of its literature and culture at its newly-opened exhibition pavilion at the Guadalajara International Book Fair – the most important gathering of publishers in the Spanish-speaking world.

Madrid is the capital of Ibero-American culture; the vanguard of the book world Raul Padilla, head of the Guadalajara International Book Festival

The Spanish capital, which is the city of honor at this year’s festival, opened the spectacular pavilion on Saturday.

Speaking at the launch, the mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena, described the exhibition space as a “place of light.”

“I want others to fall in love with Madrid just as I have,” she added.

The pavilion was designed by Madrid-based architect Alberto Campo Baeza and is made up of a soaring black cylinder, which is brightly illuminated inside.

Inside, the space features books from the Spanish capital’s most notable authors, such as philosopher and writer Fernando Savater and novelist and former war correspondent Arturo Pérez-Reverte.

I want others to fall in love with Madrid just as I have Madrid Mayor Manuela Carmena

As well as panel discussions and talks from emerging and established writers, organizers have also planned a series of music concerts, theater performances, cinema screenings and visual art exhibitions.

Spanish music groups including Vetusta Morla, Xoel López and León Benavente are set to perform, and playwright Juan Mayorga will also present his work The Cartographer.

Madrid has been described by Raul Padilla, head of the Guadalajara International Book Festival, as the “capital of Ibero-American culture; the vanguard of the book world.”

English version by Melissa Kitson.