Everything is ready for the celebration, between May 2 and 5, of the II Lanzarote Book Fair, which this year arrives in La Villa de Teguise with an important literary program. Reyes Monforte, Bob Pop, José Zoilo and Rebeca Stones have confirmed their presence, along with the already announced Juan Gómez-Jurado, Eloy Moreno and Santiago Auserón. Likewise, authors from the islands participate through a public call aimed at opening the cultural event to the writing community of the Canary Islands.
On this Tuesday, in which International Book Day is celebrated, the president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, has invited citizens to come to the Lanzarote Book Fair to enjoy its many activities and buy their copies from the hundreds that will be offered in the stands of bookstores, entities and publishers. “Reading is the shortest path to knowledge, good judgment and better decision-making. And this Fair constitutes a reminder of the multiple options, genres, formats and contents that are open to our choice. There is no excuse not to try!”, he pointed out.
The mayor of Teguise, Olivia Duque, has reiterated her happiness that La Villa is the place chosen for the festival of letters, “precisely in the year in which writer and journalist, Ángel Guerra, born in the municipality, has been designated the Canary Islands Letters Prize by the autonomous Government, which means a double satisfaction for this city council.”
For her part, the Councilor for Education and the Publications Service, Ascensión Toledo, has highlighted a program “in which the presence of authors of children's and young people's literature shows the will of a strongly technological society not to renounce, however, a formative, playful and very pleasant activity.”
The head of Culture of the First Corporation, Jesús Machín, highlighted that the Fair is an activity that stands out not only for its rich and entertaining literary offer, but also for being a meeting point to share and celebrate our culture. “This is an ideal time for both young people and adults to explore the wonders of reading and immerse themselves in stories that stimulate the mind and spirit,” he said.
An intense program of activities
The inaugural event on Thursday, May 2, will revolve around the figure of the writer and journalist, Ángel Guerra. The Teguise City Council will carry out on that first day the protocol act of naming the House of Culture with the literary pseudonym of its illustrious neighbor, José Betancort. The tributes to Guerra will continue with the presentation of new research works and compilation of his texts. In addition, the talks by the writers will be held in the Timple Museum-Spínola Palace in rooms that during these days will be recognized with titles of his most significant stories, Al jallo, A merced del viento and La lapa.
The president of the organizing association of the meeting, Tomás Pérez Esaú, has expressed his gratitude to all the institutions, the Cabildo of Lanzarote, the Teguise City Council, the Government of the Canary Islands, companies and individuals who support this fair, “because thanks to their valuable support, we can offer an enriching space that contributes significantly to the cultural life of our island.”
Throughout four days there will be presentations and signings of children's, youth and adult reading books; narrative, poetry, compilations, research and essay. And as happened last year in the first edition of the Book Fair, journalists and experts in Literature of the Canary Islands will be in charge of responding to the writers, in conversations about the selected works that will close with talks with the public present.
On the other hand, as required by the cultural pairing for the most select palates, the literary activities of the fair will be complemented by an offer of scenic proposals, among which the concert by Santiago Auserón in La Cueva de los Verdes stands out, on Sunday, May 5.
In addition, the dancer Acerina H. Toledo will perform the dance and poetry show 'Vientre', the dance company Lolailo performs the piece 'María y Petra. Causa 31', Cristina Temprano will tell stories for adult audiences and the group Muyaio will premiere on the island's stages with its cheerful musical repertoire.
