Sunday’s programme, 18 October, will wrap up at 8.30pm with the recital ‘De acero inolvidable’, starring actor Fernando Gil
The Fuerteventura Book Fair will hold its final day on Sunday with a literary programme featuring, among other authors, Margarita Yakovenko, Elena Medel, Carlos Bardem and Jorge Volpi. The presentation of new works and the encounter with the Mexican writer as part of the El escritor y tú series will be the highlights of the afternoon, on a day that will blend literature, family theatre and contemporary circus.
The Josefina Plá marquee will host the main literary events. At 6.15pm, writer and journalist Margarita Yakovenko will present Ocupación, published by Seix Barral, in a talk moderated by writer Javier Tendero.
The book begins with the death of the author’s grandfather in the Ukrainian city of Tokmak, occupied by the Russian army in 2022, and the subsequent seizure of his home, prompting the reconstruction of a century of family history. Through personal memory, history and fiction, Yakovenko explores the scars of war, displacement and the building of identity.
At 6.45pm, it will be Elena Medel’s turn to present Todos mis pecados y la mitad de mi dolor, published by Seix Barral, accompanied by journalist Nayra Bajo de Vera. The novel delves into power relations, academic hierarchies and class differences through the figure of a literature professor nearing the end of his career and the people whose fates he has shaped from his position of authority.
The programme will continue at 7.15pm with a new instalment of El escritor y tú, featuring Jorge Volpi in conversation with Claudia Neira, director of the Centroamérica Cuenta festival. The Mexican writer, author of novels such as En busca de Klingsor and Una novela criminal, will discuss his literary career and his approach to exploring the relationships between history, politics, science and society through fiction.
At 8.00pm, Carlos Bardem will present Triángulo, published by AdN, in conversation with journalist Manuel Riveiro. The actor and writer has a literary career that includes novels such as Alacrán enamorado and Mongo blanco, blending fiction with a critical eye on power relations and social conflict. The event will give audiences a chance to discover his latest narrative work.
Finally, the Fuerteventura Book Fair will close its programme at 8.30pm with De acero inolvidable, a recital combining humour, poetry and live music that takes a wry, uncompromising look at the light and shade of the so-called macho ibérico. Actor Fernando Gil, known for his role as Pedro Aguilar in the series Machos Alfa, will be accompanied by the guitar of Argentine composer and musician Fernando Egozcue in a show that invites audiences to laugh at traditional stereotypes of masculinity.
Literature from early morning
The day marking the close of the 36th Fuerteventura Book Fair will begin at 10.30am. The Josefina Plá marquee will host the presentation of Luces y sombras del amor, by José Manuel de la Torre Montenegro, published by Círculo Rojo. The event will feature journalist Pía Peñagarikano.
The family programme will include a performance at 11.00am of Triplette, a theatre show by Catalan company LaBú Teatre & Cris Clown, staged in the square outside the Palacio de Formación y Congresos.
At midday, Marcos Hormiga will present Patricio Anís, published by Mercurio, in the Josefina Plá marquee, together with journalist Eduardo García Rojas. The literary presentations will continue at 12.30pm with Lar, by Bibiana Candia, published by Alfaguara. The author will be joined by literature teacher Libertad Morales.
At 1.00pm, the Josefina Plá marquee will host the presentation of two publications: La hija del viento, by Binta Claire, and Travesías, by José Naranjo and Juan Luis Rod. Both have been published by the Consejería de Presidencia of the Canary Islands Government.
Contemporary circus and theatre round off the programme
The afternoon’s cultural offerings will include, at 5.00pm, Mahmud y no solo Mahmud, by Punto Cero Company, a contemporary circus production from Madrid. The show will take place in the Sala Sinfónica of the Palacio de Formación y Congresos, is recommended for audiences aged 12 and over, and admission is free with prior booking at enculturafuerteventura.es.
Sunday’s programme is rounded out with events bringing literature and the performing arts to a wide range of audiences, from children to readers interested in contemporary fiction. The presentations by Yakovenko, Medel and Bardem, together with Volpi’s conversation with Claudia Neira, will shine a light on different ways of approaching identity, memory, social relationships and present-day conflicts.
The Book Fair is organised by the Centro Bibliotecario Insular, under the Consejería de Cultura of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, with the collaboration of the Instituto Canario de Desarrollo Cultural of the Canary Islands Government. The Viceconsejería de Bienestar Social, Igualdad, Juventud, Infancia y Familia of the regional government is also taking part.
