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Matadero Madrid brings together Julieta Venegas and Moderna de Pueblo at a Back to the Book festival
Madrid already has a literary date to mark in the September calendar. Back to the Book will return to Matadero Madrid with three days of books, music, talks and free gatherings, a proposal designed for curious readers, independent publishers and anyone who wants to approach literature without solemnity.
The third edition will take place from 11 to 13 September at Casa del Lector, inside Matadero. Admission will be free, and the atmosphere will aim to combine a publishing fair, a cultural festival and a meeting point for people who enjoy leafing through books, listening to authors or discovering imprints outside the more commercial circuit.
The line-up brings together very recognisable names. Julieta Venegas, Paco Roca and Moderna de Pueblo are part of a programme that also includes Lucía Solla Sobral, Lana Corujo, Sara Torres, Marta Sanz, Mónica Ojeda, Pilar Asuero, María Hesse, María Bastarós, Brenda Navarro, Jon Bilbao, Servando Rocha, Julen Azcona, Miguel Marcos and Cheon Un-yeong.
The variety of voices is one of the festival’s attractions. There will be fiction, comics, illustration, essays, literary conversation and proposals that cross books with music and popular culture. That mix means Back to the Book is not only an event for regular readers, but also for those looking for a different cultural plan in Madrid.
Independent publishers will play a central role. The festival offers them a space to present their catalogues, sell books, talk to readers and give visibility to works that often do not occupy the biggest shop windows. It is an opportunity to discover titles that may not appear on the usual lists.
In previous editions, imprints such as Eterna Cadencia, Fondo de Cultura Económica, Libros del Zorro Rojo, Libros del K.O., Caja Negra Editora, Pepitas de Calabaza and Nórdica Libros have taken part. That direction reinforces the character of the event: carefully made books, distinctive proposals and a more direct relationship between those who publish, write and read.
The programme will be completed with signings, talks, live music and places to have coffee or beer without leaving the venue. The idea is for the festival to be experienced unhurriedly, moving in and out of activities, buying books or simply spending the afternoon among conversations and recommendations.
Matadero Madrid thus once again serves as one of Arganzuela’s major cultural venues. Its location, spacious areas and connection with different audiences make it a natural place for an event that wants to open literature to more people.
Back to the Book arrives just as September returns Madrid to its cultural rhythm after the summer. For three days, Casa del Lector will be a refuge for reading, listening, discovering publishers and remembering that literature can also be experienced as a city plan: free, close at hand and shared.