Alcalá de Henares celebrates Abril de Cervantes 2014. The annual awarding of Cervantes Prize is complemented by the Festival de la Palabra, an authentic prime of the arts that will delight culture lovers.
Alcalá de Henares’s City Hall and its University put their efforts together again, just to t the month of April, another year in a real prime of arts for another year by organizing dozens and dozens of experiences to delight lovers of good and select culture. It is worthy to fix our eyes in the program of Cervantes Birthplace Museum and the inclusion in it of Cervantes Institute, with a series of conferences in which participants will review the classics of literature from a contemporaneous perspective.
The annual awarding of Premio Cervantes, that will be collected the next April 23rd by the Mexican Elena Poniatowska from the hands of the King of Spain—is considered to be of greatest international significance, the most important among all the events held in Alcalá de Henares.
Literature, writers, book fair, storytelling, event’s organizers, musicians, singers, poets, actors, thinkers and even bards are gathered in the program of Abril de Cervantes. Authors awarded with prizes such as Planeta, Nadal or Ateneo are some of the participants in a literary trade fair conceived to be suitable for all publics and for enjoying and delight the greatest possible number of people.
Abril de Cervantes
This year, the central attraction of the cultural prime of Alcalá is the Complutensian Polygloth Bible and its Fifth Centenary. However, the tribute to such creation will take place not before May, by releasing a great documentary project screened into Teatro Salón Cervantes.
As a great novelty, the programming presents a series about the early works of José Luis Garci—last Premio Ciudad de Alcalá de las Artes y las Letras [City of Alcalá de Henares Prize of Arts and Letters]. During seven weeks—every Tuesdays from April 22nd—screenings will be seen and discussions about the most outstanding movies of its filmography will take place: Begin the Beguine, Cradle Song, The Grandfather, Tiovivo, Sunday Light…
During the Writers’ Meeting—directed by Fernando Marías—distinguished authors such as Raquel Lanseros, Luis Alberto de Cuenca and Carlos Marzal will be present. They, among many others—like the rapper and writer Alberto Escarabias “Shone”—, will gather in a meeting on Thursday, April 3rd in the Old Hospital of Santa María la Rica. The following Thursday, the city will receive duo Versovia, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, Cristina Fallarás, the large accordion player Manuel Vilas and the tango composer Marcelo Mercadante.
Teatro Salón Cervantes is the meeting point of authors and artists: ranging from the “Ilustres Ignorantes” [TV Show Illustrious Ignorants] by Javier Coronas, Javier Cansado and Pepe Colubi to the trumpet quintet The Five Bells, including the concert “Un nuevo mundo de sonidos por primavera” [A new world of sounds because of the spring] in charge of the Orchestra Ciudad de Alcalá.
Street authors will go on passacaglia at the weekends on April 12th and 13th and Sunday 27th, a theatre project for reviewing the great classics in open spaces such as Plaza de los Irlandeses, Plaza de Cervantes and Plaza de Rodríguez Marín.
The National Festival of Storytelling—coordinated by the group Légolas—will gather for eleventh year in a row the best storytelles of our country on April 25th and 27th.
The exposition that will take place in the Old Hospital of Santa María la Rica, is highly recommendable. It summarizes the ten years of history of the magazine Revista Ñ, A Magazine for Reading; being part this programming the spectacular exposure of the city “Alcalá en las colecciones fotográficas” [Alcalá in Photograph Collections] that will open its doors next April 4th.
Finally, we cannot forget to mention the Book Fair, from April 25th to May 12th, and the series Flamencos en Ruta, framed within the Auditorium of Colegio de los Basilios.
All the programming of Abril de Cervantes-Festival de la Palabra is está disponible en este PDF and can be read next.
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El Colegio del Rey funciona como tal hasta su traslado a Madrid en 1836. En 1842, es vendido a un particular. Hacia 1882 vuelve a manos del Estado y es destinado a Casa de Correos y Telégrafos. Posteriormente, la familia Casado lo somete a profundas reformas para convertirlo en vivienda, como el derribo de parte de la capilla dejando solo el crucero con cúpula, que se convierte en la actual escalera de honor.
