The celebrated author of "El infinito en un junco," Irene Vallejo, will participate in two significant events organized by the Tres Culturas Foundation in Rabat next week, coinciding with the designation of this city as the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2026. This marks Vallejo's inaugural presentation of her works in neighboring Morocco, where several of her books have been translated into Arabic since last year. Consequently, two important gatherings have been scheduled for literature enthusiasts, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Morocco.
The first meeting with the celebrated writer will occur on May 8th at 11:30 AM in the auditorium of the Mohamed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which is collaborating on this initiative alongside the National Museum Foundation. During this event, which is expected to be attended by 180 children from the Colegio Español de Rabat, Vallejo will share her insights on the necessity of fostering reading habits among the youth. She will discuss the impact of bullying and the role of books as a refuge, as well as the significance of libraries and cultural spaces in nurturing a love for reading.
The second event is scheduled for May 9th at 12:30 PM, taking place at the XXXI edition of the International Salon of Publishing and Book (SIEL), hosted at the Spain-Ibero-America exhibition area with the participation of the Instituto Cervantes of Rabat. During this occasion, Vallejo will engage in a conversation with translator Mark Gamal, who is responsible for the Arabic versions of several of her works and will accompany her the previous day at the museum.
At the SIEL, both Vallejo and Gamal will explore the challenges and nuances of conveying Vallejo's intricate literary universe—richly infused with Greco-Roman influences—into another language and cultural context. This includes discussions on her notable works such as "El infinito en un junco," published by the Lebanese publisher Aladab; "Manifiesto por la lectura," edited by the Kuwaiti Takween; and "El futuro recordado," a collection of essays published by the Egyptian Tanmia.
The two activities will be moderated by journalist Zoubaida Fathi from Morocco's National Society of Radio and Television (SNRT).
Irene Vallejo, born in Zaragoza in 1979, studied Classical Philology and received her European Doctorate from the universities of Zaragoza and Florence. Currently, she is engaged in a vigorous effort to promote the classical world by giving lectures and courses, in addition to contributing to the newspapers Heraldo de Aragón and El País Semanal.
Her literary works include notable novels such as "La luz sepultada" (2011) and "El silbido del arquero" (2015). She has also published essays, children's books, and anthologies of her journalistic articles. However, it is her book "El infinito en un junco" that has catapulted her to international literary stardom, earning her the National Essay Award in 2020 among numerous other accolades. This work, which reviews approximately 30 centuries of book history from Greece, Rome, and the Library of Alexandria to the emergence of parchment codices, has exceeded a million readers, with translations in over 40 languages and publications in more than 70 countries.
Recently, Vallejo was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts for 2025.
As reported by sevillabuenasnoticias.com.
