To kick off the new academic year and as part of European Jewish Culture Day 2026, Centro Sefarad-Israel pays tribute to one of the leading figures in contemporary thought and literature. This conversation will feature prominent writers and friends of the honoree, including Irene Vallejo, Enrique Vila-Matas, Jorge Volpi, and Elena Martínez Bavière, who will share their reflections on his intellectual journey, his legacy, and the enduring relevance of his work.
“Books are our memory and our imagination; through them we learn to understand others and to understand ourselves.” That conviction has guided the life and work of Alberto Manguel, writer, essayist, editor, and one of the great advocates of reading in our time. From his youth, when he read aloud to Jorge Luis Borges, to his tenure as director of the National Library of Argentina and his extensive body of essays, Manguel has championed reading as an experience of freedom, reflection, and connection with others.
Under the theme “Love,” which inspires this year’s European Day of Jewish Culture, Centro Sefarad-Israel dedicates this event to the love of books as an expression of knowledge, curiosity, and mutual understanding. Alberto Manguel’s career exemplifies this commitment to the written word as a shared heritage and as a tool capable of broadening our view of the world and bringing people and cultures closer together.