From 6 to 10 November, the fourth edition of the 42 Festival will feature around seventy events, adding to its signature elements and covering varous topics and formats:

• The importance of dragons of all kinds in fantasy genres, from Tolkien’s Smaug to Rebecca Yarros’s Tairn.
• The role of water, from seas to droughts, in genres such as science fiction, fantasy, terror and mythology.
• The importance of popular science and essays in addressing themes of the genre and how more and more authors and readers of non-fiction are becoming directly interested in it.
• There is a growing interest in legends, from retellings to the myths passed down over the ages and their connections with the resurgence of folk horror.
• Tributes that coincide with notable anniversaries or new editions, this year covering everyone and everything from Kafka to Matrix, from Shirley Jackson to Ursula K. Le Guin, from witches to mermaids and from La pell freda [translated into English as Cold Skin] to trailblazing female science fiction authors.
• Activities on related media, with comic books, illustrations, theatre and video games featuring prominently this year.
• A special focus on European authors, with this fourth edition highlighting authors from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, France, Italy, Poland and beyond, in addition to the always-represented United States and Latin America.

Plus much more, including two new activities:

• Activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Catalan science fiction novel Mecanoscrit del segon origen [translated into English as Typescript of the Second Origin].
• A new series of workshops and hands-on/experiential activities that will turn stories into objects and conversations into cosplay and take the written word to the streets.

And as always, all the other hallmarks of Festival 42:

• An exploration of fantasy, non-realist and non-mimetic genres (always with the aim of integrating, sharing and recommending).
• The desire to connect with fans, but also with all curious readers or those who, paraphrasing Molière, enjoy fantasy genres without knowing it.
• The determination to both shine a light on new approaches to this genre and to reclaim and share a heritage and tradition that have been unfairly ignored.
• A particular focus on women in fantasy genres and the new sexualities that have always been explored in this genre.
• The ten categories of the 42 Awards are recognised as some of the most influential prizes in this field.
• +42, the off-festival in bookshops and libraries, which will expand the network and also reach beyond the Fabra i Coats hub.

The Institut de Cultura de Barcelona, as part of the City of Literature Program, organises some literary festivals. For the creation of the programming, we count on the advice of experts in the field. The proposed programming responds to literary criteria and takes into consideration: the literary commemorations of the current year, the diversity of audiences to be reached, the guiding thread of the festival, the balance between the new and the classics, the diversity of genres and formats of each presentation, the gender parity of the programmed authors, the balance between local national and international creation, and the diversity of publishing typology represented, among others.

For any query, you can contact: ciutatliteratura@bcn.cat