Benjamin Prado: “Fuerteventura Is on My List of Magical Places”
The Plaza of the Palace of Training and Congresses in Fuerteventura hosted the official opening ceremony of the 35th edition of the Fuerteventura Book Fair on Thursday, 23 October.
The cultural programme, which will run until Sunday, 26 October, features about twenty authors and opened with the “Juggling Orchestra” Galician company Pistacatro, winner of the 2025 National Circus Award.
The inaugural lecture was delivered by poet, novelist and essayist Benjamin Prado, whose work has been published in numerous countries and translated into several languages. In a talk he titled “Which Book Would You Take to a Deserted Island?”, the author spoke of his love for the island of Fuerteventura and confessed that he would like to set one of his stories there.
Which Book Would You Take to a Deserted Island?
“Which book would you take to a deserted island? Well, I know which inhabited islands I would take one of my books to, in order to set the story I want to tell in my novel or my poems. Could that place be Fuerteventura? I would love it, because I fell in love with it at first sight, as proof that I have added it to my catalogue of superstitions and magical places where one goes to look for luck,” Prado said, adding that he never leaves Puerto del Rosario without “chatting a while” with the statue of Miguel de Unamuno “who always waits for me next to the house where he lived in exile.”
Prado then offered a reflection on the importance of books:
“Books are an island, a territory where calm reigns and there is time to think. They are a refuge against the rushed life imposed by societies obsessed with vertigo, a space to reflect and learn— the opposite of the immediacy that governs us, the shallow habit of jumping from headline to headline without deepening into anything.”
He concluded his speech by reciting the poem “Family Book.” He praised the Fuerteventura Book Fair for celebrating a new edition and reminded the audience that such gatherings are “a festival of intelligence and coexistence: two people who have read the same work will always have something to talk about—both to share a common experience and to discover that each has read a different book, even if it is the same title.”
Cultural Significance
Lola García highlighted the fair’s role after thirty‑five editions:
“This fair reflects a collective effort among the Cabildo, collaborating entities, authors and the general public—a sustained commitment that has made the fair one of the archipelago’s major cultural references.”
She added that this year the fair enjoys the prestige of having Benjamin Prado as its pregonero (honorary speaker) and that the Alexis Ravelo Award was presented to the Cultural Association Raíz del Pueblo, an exemplary collective that has defended popular education, reading and citizen participation in its municipality.
Cabildo Culture Counselor Rayco León noted:
“We are celebrating 35 years of the Fuerteventura Book Fair, and this edition features the highest number of publishing houses and bookstores ever, aiming to break attendance records among school groups and the general public.”
Mayor of Puerto del Rosario David de Vera emphasized event’s impact on the capital:
“The fair turns our city into a literary reference point, a meeting place for authors and citizens. The town hall even has its own stand at the fair.”
Canary Islands Government Vice‑Counselor for Culture Horacio Umpiérrez welcomed the celebration:
“We are delighted to host a Book Fair that celebrates great Canarian writers. Books are increasingly in vogue; the industry is thriving, producing a great variety of works by many authors.”
A Morning for Students and a Musical Closing
The first day also placed children and teenagers at the centre of the programme. About 576 students participated in two performances held in the Symphony Hall of the Palace of Training and Congresses and in the Josefina Plá Tent:
- “Don Quixote” by the Tumbalobos Company
- “Pinocchio” by the Ultramarinos de Lucas Company
The day ended with music and poetry in the show “The Generational Work,” featuring singer‑songwriter Nacho Vegas and poet Rafael Espejo.
The fair is organized by the Island Library Centre, under the Cabildo of Fuerteventura’s Culture Department, with collaboration from the Canary Islands Institute for Cultural Development of the regional government.