Benengeli 2026. My Story Begins in a Library

As part of Benengeli 2026, the World Week of Spanish-Language Literature, the Instituto Cervantes New York will host a conversation between Spanish writer Beatriz Serrano and Venezuelan author Keila Vall de la Ville, moderated by Mexican writer Lorea Canales. Now in its sixth consecutive edition, Benengeli presents an international literary program that connects all five continents through in‑person and digital activities.

This year, seventeen cities worldwide—Instituto Cervantes centers together with invited cities—take part in a global journey through contemporary Spanish‑language literature, offering a shared reflection on the symbolic space of libraries as places of memory, imagination, and the circulation of words. Over the course of one week, the Spanish language travels the planet as a living, plural literary language in dialogue with other traditions, proposing a planetary perspective on what it means to write and read in the twenty‑first century.

The New York event will take place in a conversation format with a videopodcast aesthetic, conceived as a warm and intimate space for dialogue between the writers and the audience. The program will be presented with the collaboration and support of FIL Ciudad de Nueva York.

Beatriz Serrano (Spain) Spanish writer and journalist. She is the author of El descontento (2023), published in English as Discontent, and Fuego en la garganta (2024), a novel that was a finalist for the Premio Planeta. Her work explores the emotional and social tensions of contemporary life with irony and a sharp critical perspective.

Keila Vall de la Ville (Venezuela) Venezuelan writer based in New York. Author of novels, short fiction, and poetry, including Los días animales (2016), translated into English as The Animal Days (2021). Her writing engages with landscape, memory, and the migrant experience from a transnational viewpoint.

Lorea Canales (Mexico) Mexican writer, journalist, and translator based in New York. Author of novels such as Apenas Marta (2011), published in English as Becoming Marta, and Los perros. Her work has been critically acclaimed and translated into several languages, combining fiction and nonfiction with a strong focus on the ethical and social dimensions of everyday life.