Between September 17 and 20, the city of Zaragoza will be the stage for a literary journey through time. The VI Historical Novel Conference «City of Zaragoza» returns with strength, establishing itself as one of the most significant events of the genre in the Spanish landscape. Under the theme “Love and Art”, this edition will bring together novelists, historians, academics, and lovers of historical narrative in a meeting that celebrates the human passions that have marked —and narrated— the course of civilizations.
The event, organized by the Zaragoza City Council and the Caja Rural de Aragón Foundation, reinforces the aspiration of the Aragonese capital as a meeting point between history and literature. In the words of its director, the renowned historian and novelist José Luis Corral, it is “an appointment to think about history from the perspective of emotion, beauty, and the human bonds that have shaped great narratives.”
A lineup that unites rigor and narrative
The program will take place in the auditorium of the Caja Rural de Aragón and will conclude on Saturday at the Roman Theatre of Caesaraugusta, an archaeological gem in the city center. The lineup of speakers stands out for both its diversity and its academic and literary excellence.
The inauguration on Wednesday the 17th will be led by Begoña Valero, a recently awarded author of the 2025 Valencian Literary Criticism Prize. Her conference, “The Life of the Less Known Cervantes,” promises to unveil less-traveled facets of the author of the Quijote. On the same day, Marisancho Menjón, a writer and former General Director of Heritage of the Aragonese Government, will speak about “The Roda Group,” a theme that links heritage and narrative.
On Thursday, professor and novelist Olalla García will address “The Case of Céspedes,” a fascinating figure of the Golden Age who challenged the limits of gender and class. This will be followed by José Luis Corral, who will reflect on one of the most potent binaries of the genre: “Love and Death.”
Friday is reserved for a legal and political perspective on history. Carmen Lázaro, a professor of Roman Law, will lecture on marriage and monogamy in ancient Rome. Then, writer and historian Eduardo Juárez, a professor at Carlos III University, will analyze the weight of the black legend on Spain’s international image, under the suggestive title “A Story of Disenchantment.”
A closing with music and memory
The grand finale will come on Saturday the 20th, at the Museum of the Roman Theatre, in a more relaxed yet equally significant format. Pedro Baranda, the academic coordinator of the event, will present “2025. A Year of Novelists and Historical Novels in Aragon,” an overview of the genre’s rise in the region. The event will culminate with a recital by musician Álex Garber, who will perform medieval pieces under the title “Music and Love Songs in the Middle Ages,” providing a sensory framework for the event’s conclusion.
Zaragoza, a benchmark for the genre
Far from being limited to a local audience, the Historical Novel Conferences of Zaragoza have gained prestige as a space for reflection and gathering around a genre that is experiencing a second youth. The combination of historical rigor, literary sensitivity, and a commitment to dissemination makes this event a benchmark for readers, writers, and researchers from the entire Spanish-speaking world.
In times when post-truth and historical simplification threaten to impoverish cultural discourse, spaces like these conferences emphasize the importance of understanding the past with nuance, emotion, and depth. Zaragoza, with its two-millennia-long history and vibrant present, proves to be the ideal stage for this conversation among times, genres, and voices.
