The 85th Madrid Book Fair will host a special tribute to acclaimed Portuguese author António Lobo Antunes on June 14, organizers announced in the official program.
Coming just a few months after his passing on March 5 at the age of 83, the event is designed as a retrospective dialogue celebrating the life and literary legacy of an author widely considered one of the most universal European writers of the past half-century.
The tribute will take place on the final day of the fair at the Europe Pavilion, nestled within the capital’s central Retiro Park.
The commemorative event will feature a panel discussion between the author’s daughter, Maria José Lobo Antunes, and prominent Portuguese writer Rui Cardoso Martins. Spanish journalist and author Javier Peña, host of the independent literary podcast Grandes Infelizes, will moderate the session.
Read more: António Lobo Antunes has died; one of Portugal’s greatest writers of all time (with video)
According to the Portuguese Embassy in Madrid, the tribute is specially curated to align with the overarching theme of this year’s book fair: humor. Cardoso Martins plans to explore the subtle, fierce, and deeply melancholic dimensions of humor woven throughout Lobo Antunes’s dense bibliography, complemented by live readings of his texts in both Portuguese and Spanish.
Running from May 19 to June 14, the 2026 Madrid Book Fair will be officially opened on May 29 by Queen Letizia of Spain. Operating with a 1.9-million-euro budget, the sprawling cultural event will feature 366 kiosks representing 118 bookstores, 220 publishing houses, and various independent and international literary organizations.
Portuguese literature will enjoy broader representation beyond the headline tribute; the “Trifolium” academic trilogy dedicated to Portuguese Studies will be presented on June 3, while contemporary Portuguese poet João Luís Barreto Guimarães is scheduled for a dedicated book signing session on May 30.
