Festival of Queer Literature in Spanish in London returns for its fourth year

Jorge Gárriz, and Ambassador of Spain to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, José Pascual Marco Martíne
Festival Director Jorge Gárriz, novelist Pol Guasch and Ambassador of Spain to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, José Pascual Marco Martínez (Image: Foto Antonio Santana)

The Festival of Queer Literature in Spanish in London launched its fourth instalment yesterday (Wednesday 20 November 2024) with a special event at the Spanish Embassy in London.

Attendees were welcomed by an opening address from Ambassador of Spain to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, José Pascual Marco Martínez, followed by an interview between Festival Director Jorge Gárriz and Napalm in the Heart author Pol Guasch.

Jorge Gárriz and Pol Guasch
Jorge Gárriz and Pol Guasch (Image: Foto Antonio Santana)

Presented by Romancero Books, the festival runs until 25 November 2024, with a series of specially curated live events taking place across the English capital over the next week.

“We need more than A Room of One’s Own” – Jorge Gárriz

“We need more than A Room of One’s Own – we want to go beyond that,” Gárriz told attendees in a speech on stage, referencing Virginia Woolf’s famous book.

“Because our voices, ourselves gritando amor, gritando te quiero, deserves a bigger presence in the literary scene and in society as we are part of it,” he added.

The festival founder and novelist in conversation before an audience
The festival is returning for its fourth outing with a series of in-person events (Image: Image: Foto Antonio Santana)

Literary presentations to come in venues around London include Sara Torres, Ángelo Néstore, and Fernando López Rodríguez, among others.

Meanwhile, iconic figures Pedro Lemebel, Pepe Espaliù, David Vilaseca, and Jaime Gil de Biedma will be celebrated in a series of special talks and retrospectives.

The Festival of Queer Literature in Spanish in London, as described by organisers

“It’s unique space for readers, writers, critics, and anyone interested in LGBTQIA+ culture to connect and reflect. The festival’s objectives include promoting Hispanic LGBTQIA+ studies in the UK, disseminating work by emerging queer writers from Spain and Latin America in the Anglosphere, and spotlighting and revitalising queer writers from the recent past to recognise literary forebears and foster intergenerational dialogue among writers and audiences. The festival’s programme aims to amplify the voices of new queer poets writing in Spanish, create synergies with UK audiences around the latest queer literature written in Spanish and Catalan (and its English translations), and build relationships with English-language publishers to encourage the future translation of Spanish and Catalan queer texts into English. The festival is rooted in a commitment to respect sexual, ideological, and gender diversity.”

For more information about The Festival of Queer Literature in Spanish in London and for tickets, click here.

The Festival of Queer Literature in Spanish in London 2024 schedule

Thursday 20 November

7:00 PM – Instituto Cervantes, London

Conference at Instituto Cervantes, London – Organised in partnership with SRUK/CERU, highlighting queer research by Spanish scholars in British universities.

Speakers: Anna Moya (LSE), Álvaro González Montero (Leeds), Lucía Gloria Vázquez Rodríguez (UCL), Javier Fernández Galeano (UV/Wesleyan).

Tickets available.

Friday 22 November

7:00 PM – Hundred Years Gallery

5th Queer Poetry Recital featuring poets Ángelo Néstore.

Tickets available.

Saturday 23 November

3:45 PM – The Rio Cinema

Screening of “Marisol, Llámame Pepa”

Discussion with director Blanca Torres and Marta Calderón from Spectra.

Tickets available.

7:00 PM – The Divine

Presentation of the book “A Queer History of Flamenco” by Fernando López Rodríguez.

Screening of “Queerolé!” by filmmaker Patricia Langa.

Performance by Fernando López Rodríguez

Tickets available.

Sunday 24 November

4:00 PM – BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! Gallery

Conference by Jesús Alcaide: Pepe Espaliú – The Impossible Truth. Texts 1987-1993.

Tickets available.

6:30 PM – Boys! Boys! Boys!

Talk with Sara Torres on her novel La Seducción, joined by actor and performer Norah Lopez Holden.

Tickets available.

Monday 25 November

7:20 PM – Gay’s The Word

Conversation on Pedro Lemebel’s work: A Last Supper of Queer Apostles: Selected Essays

Featuring editor Rory Williamson of Pushkin Press and writer Lauren J. Joseph.

Tickets available.

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