We’ll use four legendary myths – Orpheus and Eurydice from ancient Greece, yokais from Japan, Wonderland from the United Kingdom and dragons, fairies, dips, dwarves and gatillobes from Catalonia, plus nods to the labyrinth myth – as a starting point for a discussion that will gradually draw us into darkness, as the four authors on this panel have done. The first, Clara Cortés, is an author and illustrator specialising in mental health and LGBTI themes, whose El sol allá arriba [The Sun Up There] transplants Orpheus to rural Spain under Franco; the second, Marta G. Andilla, is a Nipponophile whose Kazuki is a The Witcher with Japanese creatures, deities and pets at the mercy of the spirits; the third, scriptwriter and author Iván Ledesma takes risks that pay off in L’altre costat [The Other Side], bringing together Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and gender-based violence; and finally, we have Concili Fetiller storyteller Ferran d’Armengol, whose El laberint de Noctiluca [The Noctiluca Labyrinth] celebrates traditional Catalan beasts, including dragons, through a story of family conflicts and the bumpy journeys the hero, a heroine in this case, embarks upon. Guided by author Elena Polanco, the four of them will trace the origins of myth and shadow in their stories. And maybe, if they can, try to separate them.

Guests:

Iván Ledesma

Clara Cortés

Marta G. Andilla

Ferran d’Armengol

Moderator:

Elena Polanco