Last night, Tuesday August 18th, the cosyness of Trinquet street at El Poble Nou de Benitatxell became the scene of a participatory literary evening dedicated to rescuing from oblivion the voice of the female authors of the so-called Generation of ’26. Under the title ‘Writers of the Generation of ’27 and the great modern and avant-garde Spanish female intellectuals (Generation of ’26)’, the event brought together dozens of residents and visitors in an event that combined social commitment, cultural historical memory with a gender perspective and live music.
The evening began with the introductory presentation by Marina Gilabert, representative of Clásicas y Modernas, an association that directs and coordinates the event together with the Benitatxell’s Council. During her speech, Gilabert stressed that this festival is conceived as «a collective process of participation and shared construction where culture is not directed from the top down, but is built through dialogue and networking».
Gilabert also emphasised the fundamental importance of the writers and intellectuals of the Generation of ’26 – such as María Teresa León, Rosa Chacel, Ernestina de Champourcín and Carmen Conde – as well as the role of the Women’s Lyceum Club and ‘Las Sinsombrero’ movement.
«Talking about these women does not only mean talking about literature; it means talking about modernity, education, emancipation and citizenship,» she said. «Those creators were not mere companions or spectators of the great male names of the 27th, but true protagonists who dared to think for themselves and to conquer the word in a society that still denied them those rights.» In this sense, she urged to «recover their names and their works not to build a parallel history, but to complete the cultural history we already have and make it fairer and richer.»
A nod to universal suffragism
The first thematic block was given by the members of the European Union of Women Marina Alta (EUWMA) – Emma Lawton, Mihaela Bidea, Marion Oprel, Kathleen Misson and Margaret Hales – who gave voice in various languages (Spanish, Valencian, English and Dutch) to texts by great figures of suffragism and international women’s emancipation.
Throughout their speeches, biographies and some fragments of emblematic works were read, such as A Casual Commentary (1925) by Rose Macaulay, My Brilliant Career (1901) by the Australian Miles Franklin and Eva (1927) by the Dutch Carry van Bruggen.
The most special moment of the international bloc was led by Margaret Hales, a direct descendant of the famous writer and British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. In memory of her ancestor and as a heartfelt family and historical tribute, Hales offered a dramatised reading of the iconic Speech from the Bench (1908). Dressed in the characteristic hat of the time that immortalized the fighters for women’s suffrage, she managed to transport the public to the heat of the first conquests for women’s political equality.
Dialogue between the female authors of 26 and the male authors of 27
Next, national literature took centre stage with the readings shared between the Associació de Dones del Poble Nou de Benitatxell and local members of the cultural field. The representatives of the Associació de Dones —Elvira Mahiques, Amparo Pascual and Gloria Ferrer— paid tribute to great female figures such as María Lejárraga, María Teresa León and Rosa Chacel. For their part, Antonio Mataix, Miquel Almenara and Gabriel Marqués read essential pieces by Luis Cernuda, Miguel Hernández and Federico García Lorca.
This cross-dialogue highlighted the enriching coexistence between the creators of ’26 and the poets of ’27, demonstrating that the cultural emergence of the Spanish Silver Age was a plural and shared project.
The whole atmosphere of the night was accompanied by the interpretations of the musician Toni Catalá, creating an intimate atmosphere. The final touch to the day was put by the Councillor of Equality, Isa Garrido, who thanked the involvement of the associations and vindicated the cultural diversity and multilingualism of the municipality: «Tonight we have united literature, music, memory and equality. That is the essence of the festival: to meet around the word, even if our languages or places of origin are different.» She also recalled the municipal commitment to take the events to the streets so that culture is part of daily life, inviting attendees to enjoy the end of the party with caspellets and mistela.
At the halfway point of the II Literary Festival
This act is part of the programme of the II Literary Festival ‘Literatura a la fresca’, jointly promoted by the councillorships of Culture and Equality and the Clasicas y Modernas association. The event officially kicked off with the inauguration of Art al Carrer, which adorns the balconies of the centre (Alicante avenue and La Pau and Mayor streets) with 101 pictorial works of feminist art. The exhibition, on loan from the Associació de Dones de Picanya, takes on an extremely emotional aspect this year as it is some canvas, some of them rescued after the DANA floods of October 2024.
After Monday’s literary evening dedicated to local literature and popular culture, with the awards ceremony and reading of winning stories, rondallas and stories from the town; and the success of last night’s event, the festival’s programme will continue in the coming days with proposals such as the travelling poetry recital ‘Poems in the streets, artistic creations that speak’ (Thursday August 20th) and the closing day on Friday August 21st at the Social Centre, which will host the space ‘Veus del nostre poble’, the commemoration of Francesc Almela i Vives as AVL Writer of the Year 2026 and the round table ‘When our Navy becomes High Literature’, with Mar Busquets, Pepa Guardiola and Elvira Cambrils.
