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Spain, Guest of Honor
Literary Program
Drawing the world: the invention of books

Can non-fiction be converted to a comic book format? This is precisely what Tyto Alba has achieved with the book by Irene Vallejo, a recent work of Spanish literature with a huge impact both nationally and internationally. Alba and Vallejo will discuss the graphic novel as a literary genre, its value and its great representative capacity. The two authors will explain this joint adventure that has led them to adapt the pages written on a reed into infinite images. Two works that draw us into a collective adventure that goes from the reed to the papyrus, and from there to the book.

Participants: Irene Vallejo, Tyto Alba

Moderator: Raquel Castro

Irene Vallejo

Invitado de Honor

(Zaragoza, 1979), drawn by the legends of Greece and Rome from a young age, studied Classical Philology and received her European Doctorate from the Universities of Zaragoza and Florence. The libraries of Florence gave birth to her book Papyrus: the invention of books in the ancient world (2019), which has garnered extraordinary acclaim from critics and readers, has surpassed 60 editions in Spain, has been translated into 40 languages and been published in almost 70 countries. In addition to international awards such as the Livre de Poche Prix in France, the Wenjin Prize of the National Library of China, finalist in the British Academy Prize and the Henríquez Ureña Award of the Mexican Academy, she has been recognized in Spain with the Premio Nacional de Ensayo, the Ojo Crítico de Narrativa Award, the Gremio de Librerías Award, the Líder Humanista Award, the Antonio de Sancha de los Editores Award, the Artes y Letra Award, the 2021 Aragón Award, and others.

She collaborates with media such as El País and Cadena Ser in Spain, Milenio in Mexico, Corriere della Sera in Italy, Página 12 in Argentina, La Tercera in Chile and El espectador in Colombia.

She has published the anthologies of articles Alguien habló de nosotros (2017) and El futuro recordado (2020), and short essays such as the Manifiesto por la lectura (2020). Her fiction works include La luz sepultada (2011) and El silbido del arquero (2015). She has published two illustrated albums: El inventor de viajes (2014), with artist José Luis Cano, and La leyenda de las mareas mansas (2023), with painter Lina Vila, and also the graphic adaptation of Papyrus: the invention of books in the ancient world to a comic (2024) in collaboration with illustrator Tyto Alba.

She also collaborates with social projects such as “Érase una voz”, “Motete“ in Chocó (Colombia) and ”Leer“ in Salta (Argentina).

Tyto Alba

Invitado de Honor

(Badalona, 1975) took his first professional steps as a painter by exhibiting in several galleries in Barcelona. During a stay in Mexico City, he began his career as a cartoonist, creating his comic book Black River Together (1999, Ediciones del Castor).

Upon returning, he worked for years illustrating opinion articles in El Periódico de Catalunya and developed the PDA project (Small Animated Designs), which produces short cartoons in collaboration with children.

He co-wrote the text Santo Cristo (2009, Glénat), drawn by Mexican Pablo Hernández, and El hijo (2009, Glénat), this time with text by Mario Torrecillas. He adapted the comic Sudd (2011, Glénat), together with Gabi Martínez, author of the novel of the same name. These last two works earned him the Junceda Prize in the comic book category. He illustrated Robert Louis Stevenson's book Un regalo de Navidad (2012, Peripheral), and collaborated again with Gabi Martínez to adapt to the comic Sólo para gigantes (2012, Astiberri). With text by Katrin Bacher, he illustrated Tante Wussi (2015, Astiberri), which received the Ciutat de Palma Award.

And by himself, he created: Dos espíritus (2013, Astiberri); La casa azul (2014, Astiberri), a tribute to Frida Kahlo and Chavela Vargas; La Vida (2016, Astiberri), on the relationship between Carles Casagemas and Pablo Picasso; Fellini en Roma; Balthus y el conde de Rola (2019, Astiberri), commissioned by the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, and Whitman (2021, Astiberri).

He published the comic book adaptation of Héctor Abad Faciolince's novel El olvido que seremos (2021, Salamandra graphic), which won the Santa Cruz Award for best graphic novel of the year. Rara avis (2022, Norma), with text by Raúl Deamo, is a biography of Catalan zoologist Jordi Sabater Pi. His book, El infinito en un junco (2024, Debate), is a comic book adaptation of the popular essay by Irene Vallejo.

Raquel Castro

(Mexico City, 1976) is a writer, screenwriter, journalist and cultural promoter. In 2012, she won the Premio de Novela Juvenil Gran Angular with her first novel, Ojos llenos de sombra, and in 2022 she received a special mention in the Cuatrogatos Foundation Awards for her short story collection El ataque de los zombis (parte mil quinientos), published by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in its first young adult literature series, Hilo de Aracne.

Her other works include the young adult novels Exiliados (2013), Lejos de casa (2013), Dark Doll (2014), Un beso en tu futuro (2017) and El método infalible para ligarte a quien tú quieras (2021); the essay Cambiamos para ser más como somos (2017), and the storybooks ¡Pirañas del mundo, uníos! (2017) and Playlist (2023). With Alberto Chimal she co-wrote the writing manual Cómo escribir tu propia historia (2018) and the novel El club de las niñas fantasma (2021).

In 2024, she wrote the fiction podcast El corazón de la Vía Láctea, produced by Loqueleo and available on Spotify. She runs a YouTube channel dedicated to literature and outreach (www.youtube.com/AlbertoyRaquelMx) and her own literary blog at www.raxxie.com.