Guadalajara International Book Fair

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Guest of Honor Pavilion

Spain, Guest of Honor
Guest of Honor Pavilion
Meetings (and misunderstandings). Cultural journalism in an era of excess

Cultural journalism or culture as a journalistic specialty? It may be the most difficult branch of journalism to define. Under the heading "Culture" or "Culture and events," newspapers and magazines set aside an ever-shrinking part of their publishing space to the topic of cultural productions and live shows, while paradoxically, the "area of action" of cultural journalism continues to grow as it tracks the changes that affect the concept of culture. It spans traditional content such as art, literature, cinema, music and theater, but also consumer habits, fashion, travel, gastronomy, science and technology, or cultural products such as video games. Production dynamics, audiences and forms of consumption are different in the media environment of the digital era. The reality is that social media and the internet have become fertile ground for the emergence of cultural initiatives. Challenges that offer interesting job opportunities for professionals, critics and content makers. What is the cultural journalism of the 21st century like? In this discussion, the participants, drawing on their personal and professional experience, will examine the concept and significance of cultural journalism, and from a current perspective, they will attempt to glimpse the future of this profession.

Participants: Juan Cruz, Sergio Vila-Sanjuán, Jordi Amat

Moderator: Eva Orúe

Juan Cruz

Invitado de Honor

Cruz is from Tenerife, born in 1948. A journalist since the age of 13, he has been a sports commentator, reporter, interviewer, writer, and editor. I practiced my profession in newspapers on the island where I was born and later at El País for 46 years. I directed the Alfaguara publishing house and published novels and essays, some of which have won awards. I won the Premio Canarias de Literatura and Premio Nacional de Periodismo. Tusquets granted me the Premio Comillas de Memorias for Egos revueltos.I also won the Premio Benito Pérez Armas in the Canary Islands, and in Alicante, the Premio Azorín de Novela.

In reality, the greatest prize life has given me has been my passion for journalism, which has brought me close to great figures of our time, as well as making me a friend and companion, among other possible relationships, of significant personalities in this profession and the craft of writing. My passion has always been Latin America, and fortunately, I have had the chance to publish renowned authors from our language born on both sides of our literature. The Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) has been a passion I have cultivated with joy and benefit since its inception.

I am currently writing a novel in which my mother is the main character; it will be titled Juana.In it, my mother is the one speaking, and her accent, rooted in the Canary Islands and therefore Latin American, replaces my own accent, which has always been of the islands and of any part of the Americas that I love.

Other activities involving the participant:
Do you write too? Family constellations of a trade

Sergio Vila-Sanjuán

Invitado de Honor

Journalist, novelist and playwright, and he manages the Cultura/s supplement of La Vanguardia.He is the author of the fiction trilogy consisting of Una heredera de Barcelona, Estaba en el aire (2013 Nadal Award), and El informe Casabona, which combines family memory and chronicles of the time. He has also written the plays El club de la escalera and La agente literaria, which recently premiered at the Teatre Akadèmia in Barcelona.

He has published several books on literary, publishing and artistic topics, such as Pasando página, El síndrome de Frankfurt, Código best seller and Vargas Llosa sube al escenario, and the biography El joven Porcel. His latest book is Cultura española en democracia. Una crónica breve de 50 años 1975-2024 (Destino).

He was the curator of the Year of the Book and Reading 2005, and is a member of the Real Academia de Buenas Letras de Barcelona. He received the 2020 Premio Nacional de Periodismo Cultural and the José Luis Giménez-Frontín Award from the Association of Writers of Catalonia (ACEC) for dialogue between cultures.

Other activities involving the participant:
Exploring of the outside from within
European Literature Festival
The prescribers

Jordi Amat

Invitado de Honor

(Barcelona, 1978) is a writer and philologist. A specialist in 20th-century Hispanic non-fiction literature, he has written various biographies and essays in Catalan and Spanish to understand the reconstruction of democratic culture in contemporary Spain.

His latest books, published by Tusquets publishing house, include the novel based on real events, El hijo del chófer, and the biography Vencer el miedo.Vida de Gabriel Ferrater.

He coordinates the Babelia supplement of El País and writes opinion pieces for this same newspaper.

Other activities involving the participant:
Memory of oblivion

Eva Orúe

Invitado de Honor

(Zaragoza, 1962) studied Journalism in Barcelona and began working in print, radio, and television even before completing her degree.

In 1988, she moved to London, marking the beginning of a 10-year period as a correspondent, during which she covered Paris, Moscow (a role that earned her the Award for Best Journalistic Work Abroad from the International Press Club), and again Paris.

Upon returning to Spain, after serving as the deputy director of a digital media outlet, she co-founded and co-directed Ingenio de Divertinajes, an agency that collaborates with French, British, American, and Canadian media, promotes authors, publishers, and bookstores, organizes projects for institutions and NGOs, and provides content for medical and other types of companies. Throughout this time, she continued her journalistic contributions and became a regular participant in discussions, especially on political topics, on both public and private radio and television.

On January 1, 2022, she took over as director of the Madrid Book Fair. She did so after applying to a call for candidates that attracted 16 applicants. She is the first woman to lead Spain's most important literary event, which receives more than 1,200,000 visitors each year.

As a solo author, she has published one book, La segunda oportunidad (2003, Temas de Hoy), and in collaboration with Sara Gutiérrez, she has published Rusia en la encrucijada (1997, Espasa), Historias de miopes (1999, Ediciones del Prado), Locas por el fútbol (2001, Temas de Hoy), Mujeres contra la guerra (2003, Belacqua), and Padres e hijos (2005, Ediciones B). The latest book, also co-authored with Gutiérrez, was released in March 2024: En el Transiberiano. Una historia personal del tren que forjó un imperio (Reino de Cordelia).