There are few plans as great on a Monday in May in Madrid as heading to Retiro Park with a stack of books on your back, getting lost in the pages, and waiting for your favorite authors to sign them. Who can resist having a novel dedicated by the person who has brought you so many hours of joy? Take note, because here are all the authors who will be sitting in a booth at the Book Fair today, making your book truly unique.
Pedro Torrijos
If you’re on Twitter, you’ve probably come across one of Pedro’s architecture threads under the hashtag #LaBrasaTorrijos. They are fascinating, incredible, and, best of all, unique and different. His ability to communicate is captivating, which is why he has already released three books in three consecutive years: ‘Improbable Territories,’ the children’s book ‘Atlas de lugares extraordinarios para descubrir el mundo,’ and his first thriller, ‘La tormenta de cristal.’ Few can resist being captivated by Torrijos’ storytelling.
Juan Pedro Aparicio
A great figure in our literature, winner of the 2012 Castilla y León Prize for Literature and the Nadal Prize in 1988. His works include ‘Retratos de Ambigú,’ one of the fundamental classics of Spanish literature, as well as ‘El origen del mono,’ ‘El año del francés,’ and ‘Tristeza de lo finito.’ If you’ve never delved into his novels, now is the time to discover his direct and captivating narrative style.
Ilu Ros
Entering the world of Ilu, an illustrator and author, means entering a world of Spanish grandmothers, strong women who reshaped history, or revisiting the history of Federico García Lorca. Her works include ‘Hey Sky, I’m on my way,’ ‘Cosas nuestras,’ and ‘Federico.’ In addition, you can admire her incredible and highly personal illustrations in a compilation of ‘La casa de Bernarda Alba,’ ‘Bodas de sangre,’ and ‘Yerma’ published by Lumen, which won the award for Best Edited Book in Spain in 2022. There’s no excuse not to explore her works.
Izara Batres
Batres combines poetry with Cortázar throughout time. The author has participated in literature festivals around the world, taking our literature as high (and far) as possible. Along the way, she has published collections such as ‘Avenidas del tiempo,’ ‘Tríptico,’ and ‘Sin red.’ She has also written several journalistic essays, and you can find her in various anthologies where you can get a glimpse of what it means to be a poet in a world without poetry.
Luis Luna
And when it comes to poetry, we must talk about one of our most admired authors in the world, the writer of ‘Cuaderno del guardabosque,’ ‘Umbilical’ (“The word abandonment like a dark bird perched on snow under the storm”) or the book-album ‘Almendra.’ He is currently a professor at the School of Writers, has been published in the United States, and is part of so many anthologies that they are countless.
María Couso
With nearly 90,000 followers on Instagram through her account Play.funlearning, María Couso is one of the country’s top advocates for using board games in the classroom and for cognitive development during childhood. She now presents her first book, ‘Cerebro, infancia y juego: Cómo los juegos de mesa cambian el cerebro, after carefully studying them as a learning tool. Getting her signature will be child’s play, so to speak.
Amalia Marugán
We have all read novels about Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie’s detectives, but what about when the detective is the author? Marugán had her own private agency, making her one of the oldest detectives in Spain, and she still collaborates on unsolved cases. ‘Vivir como si ya hubieras muerto’ is her first novel, marked by action, corruption, and murder. Looks like we’ll have to… keep an eye on her.
Martín Caparrós
Argentinian, with a background at The New York Times and El País, winner of the Ortega y Gasset Award and the Herralde Prize… Caparrós is one of the most fascinating individuals you can imagine. He has been a part of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Argentina, served as an editor-in-chief and television commentator, traveled the world, and published novels like ‘La historia’ and ‘Los Living,’ in addition to his famous journalistic chronicles such as ‘Larga distancia’ and ‘La voluntad.’ He is truly a master of the written arts, and now you have the opportunity to get to know him. Don’t miss out on this chance.
Susana García Soto
Not everything has to be about journalism and narrative, right? Every now and then, we need to satisfy our stomachs, and that’s where Susana García Soto’s book comes in. She gained popularity on the Internet with her blog “Piruletas de Jamón” and now she’s publishing her first book of easy, fun recipes that kids will devour. And you can always take advantage of the book signing to get a couple of tips from her. After all, who can resist a sweet treat, right?
Paul Brescia
Brescia was born in Buenos Aires and currently lives in the United States, which allows him to reconstruct and reimagine stories in anthologies such as ‘La derrota de lo real’, ‘Fuera de lugar’, or ‘La apariencia de las cosas’, alongside his work as a columnist, writer, critic, and professor in Tampa. In other words, having him in Madrid for a book signing is a true luxury that you shouldn’t miss out on.
