The fourth 42 Festival is presenting a small step/giant step: the first-ever Fantastic Panel on Catalan-Language Science Fiction, which will reflect the boom in the genre by bringing together six authors who have published works this 2024 (and the embarrassment of riches is such that many more could have been included, from Enric Herce to David Gàlvez). Led by eternal dreamer Karen Madrid, the conversation on the state of Catalan-language science fiction (and on the contributions the guests themselves have made to the genre) will feature renowned authors such as Jordi de Manuel, whose Àcars [Mites] tells the story of a plague that makes it impossible for people to live in their houses, and Antoni Munné-Jordà, who recently saw the publication of the anthology Crònica d’uns quants temps [Chronicle of Several Times]; authors who have taken the plunge more recently, such as Isa J. González with her intergalactic adventure Rere les esquerdes [Behind the Cracks] and Raquel Casas Agustí’s hyper-technological Glitch; and ambitious creators such as Ricard Efa, whose Stella Signata was the first space opera in Catalan, and Jordi Solé Camardons, whose essay Malsons i somnis de futur [Nightmares and Dreams of the Future] surveys and analyses the current onslaught of dystopian fiction. Taken together, it’s been a year to be proud of.

Guests:

Jordi de Manuel

Ricard Efa

Raquel Casas Agustí

Jordi Solé Camardons

Isa J. González

Antoni Munné-Jordà

Moderator:

Karen Madrid Ribas