The Spanish writer Irene Vallejo is one of the special guests at the Bogotá International Book Fair in its 36th version, which is taking place in Corferias until May 2.
Vallejo, author of the best seller ‘Infinite in a Reed’, was at the inaugural event of the cultural fair where she gave a poetic speech, which was heard by several leaders such as the president of Brazil, Luda da Silva, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro; the mayor Carlos Fernando Galán or the former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Juan Manuel Santos.
“An ancient legend says that a young woman invented painting to hold onto her memories, to possess the imprint of a passing moment. Elle, whose name the Roman writer Pliny the Elder did not want to remember, was the daughter of a potter. She was in love with a man who would soon leave on a trip. At that time it was so dangerous to venture down the dusty roads through the forests where bandits lurked, that no one said goodbye without a lump in their throat during their last night together, at the same time. light of a candle, the girl drew the shadow of her lover on the wall of the room. That first stroke was a rebellion against oblivion and absence. This is how art began, the imminence of a separation, the first pang of the. nostalgia, outline on a wall, love in rebellion against the ephemeral, writing was also born as a drawing and as a promise to save the fleeting, during most of our history words escaped our lips (…)”, was one of the fragments which the writer gave as the inaugural opening of Filbo, to explain the origin of writing.
The author’s best seller, ‘El Infinito en un Junco’, is a 450-page work on the history of books that was published in 2019 and gave her international recognition.. With this Vallejo won the National Essay Award at the beginning of November 2020.
