The light goes away in Barcelona for a whole day, the solar and the artificial. Only a subtle clarity that nobody knows where it comes from and the glow of the fire survive there. The Barcelonas that have existed converge and superimpose themselves in the same place: disappeared buildings reappear and others from the future emerge. In this territory where times and gazes that never had to coincide coexist, the city is overwhelmed by all its eras.
The event will cause a group of writers and artists to return to life and cross paths in improbable encounters. Thus, Picasso will make Simone Weil cry, and Cortázar will portray Laforet; Gaudí will varnish the passers-by; Bolaño will anticipate his death; García Márquez will flee in a ship and George Orwell will protect Montserrat Caballé, Núria Espert and Jordi Savall from the projectiles of war. Amidst this rupture of time, a photographer capable of revealing with his camera what has not yet happened and many other characters will unite their arts to try to understand what has happened and how the lost light can be recovered.
In his new novel —inspired by the work of Montserrat Roig and Mercè Rodoreda—, David Uclés constructs a story in which word, painting, music, and scene act as the deep consciousness of society; they are what can illuminate it when it seems that all is lost. A dazzling story, which reminds that light returns when someone dares to imagine it. The novel has been awarded the Nadal Prize 2026.
David Uclés (Úbeda, 1990) is a writer, musician, cartoonist and translator and interpreter of German, French and English. His third novel, La península de las casa vacías (Ediciones Siruela), was awarded the Cálamo Best Book of the Year 2024 Award, the Andalusia Critics Award, the Espartaco Award for best historical novel and the Kelvin 505 Award for best fantasy novel. It was also the Spanish candidate for the European Union Prize for Literature 2025. It has achieved 20 editions in a year and a half and has sold more than 200,000 copies, being chosen as one of the best sellers of 2024 and 2025. The novel is being translated into six languages: French, Portuguese, Italian, Danish, Romanian and Greek. It was chosen as the second best novel of the year by the jury of Babelia's annual list (2024). He has also published the novels Emilio y Octubre (Dos Bigotes) and El llanto del león (Complutense Literature Prize 2019), and was awarded the Leonardo and Montserrat Roig grants. Magical realism predominates in his works.
Leads the event Rosa Ribas.
Free entry until full capacity.
This activity is part of the cycle Spring of Books and Letters.
