Under the slogan ‘Confluencias’ (Confluences), Spain participates as the Guest of Honour at the 28th edition of the Bienal Internacional del Libro de São Paulo, taking place from September 4 to 13, 2026, in the Brazilian city. This prominent presence marks a major milestone for the international projection of Spain's publishing industry and offers a unique opportunity to strengthen cultural and commercial ties within the Ibero-American literary world and the Lusophone space.
Spain’s participation is coordinated by the Directorate General for Books, Comics, and Reading of the Ministry of Culture, with the direct collaboration of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), the Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), and the Federation of Spanish Publishers' Guilds (FGEE).
Editorial Proposal and Literary Program
The literary program, curated by writer Marta Sanz, is built around the concept of cultural reciprocity. Taking inspiration from the powerful visual metaphor of the rolling, wavy pavements designed by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx on both sides of the Atlantic, the programming fosters a direct dialogue between contemporary Spanish literature and the Brazilian references that have shaped the Hispanic imagination.
Artistic Delegation: Spain travels with a delegation of 50 authors reflecting the linguistic, generational, and generic diversity of current Spanish letters (fiction, poetry, essays, comics, drama, and children's literature). The delegation includes creators such as Bernardo Atxaga, Xesús Fraga, Alana S. Portero, Carlos Zanón, Elena Medel, Isaac Rosa, Katixa Agirre, Gemma Ruiz Palà, and Elvira Navarro, among others.
Thematic Sessions: A total of thirty panel discussions and professional meetings will address pivotal topics in modern creation, including the transgression of identities, life-writing (autofiction), democratic memory, ecology, the uncanny, and the critical revision of history.
Cultural Extension: Members of the delegation will extend their activities beyond the fairgrounds by hosting poetry recitals, workshops, and conversations at various Instituto Cervantes centers across Brazil.
The Spain Pavilion: A Space for Exchange
Designed by PeiPe Estudio SL and located at the Distrito Anhembi exhibition venue, the Spain Pavilion covers an area of 500 square meters. Its architecture and interior design are inspired by the fluid, irregular mosaics of Roberto Burle Marx, creating an open, contemporary, and welcoming landscape.
The space is structured into several interconnected areas:
A book exhibition area.
An auditorium for literary and musical programming.
A dedicated space for professional meetings and rights trading.
Cultural Program and Activities
To complement the literary lineup, a broad multidisciplinary cultural program spans visual arts, music, and educational workshops:
Photography: A visual installation inside the pavilion featuring 20 photographs from the exhibition ‘Palmira Puig / Marcel Giró. Humanism in Brazilian Modernist Photography’. Organized in partnership with the Instituto Cervantes at its São Paulo headquarters, the exhibition honors the Spanish Republican exile and its intersection with the mid-20th-century artistic vanguard of São Paulo.
Poetry and Tributes: Eight multilingual poetry nights will showcase contemporary voices writing in Spanish, Catalan, Basque, and Galician. The pavilion will also host a special tribute to writer José Manuel Caballero Bonald on the centenary of his birth.
Music: Live performances will include singer-songwriter Sheila Blanco, paying tribute to the women poets of the Generation of '27, and saxophonist Carles Margarit, presenting a fusion of jazz and poetry.
Street Art: The traveling project ‘El Thyssen te visita’ (The Thyssen Visits You) will bring high-quality reproductions of masterpieces from the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza to public spaces throughout the city.
Workshops and Masterclasses: The program includes three comic book masterclasses, translation and literary workshops, and a variety of reading encouragement activities designed for children and young adults.
Professional Program
The Spain Pavilion will serve as a commercial catalyst for the Spanish book ecosystem, facilitating trade missions and professional forums with the active participation of the Federation of National Associations of Edition Distributors (FANDE), the Spanish Confederation of Booksellers' Guilds and Associations (CEGAL), and the FGEE.
Links of Interest
Download Dossier de España en la Bienal do Livro de São Paulo (PDF)
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