Gabriela Mistral and her Ibero-American legacy stand out at the Madrid Book Fair 2025

Gabriela Mistral, an essential figure in Ibero-American literature and cultural diplomacy, was honoured at the 84th Madrid Book Fair as part of the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of her Nobel Prize in Literature, which made her the only Ibero-American woman to receive this distinction.

At the opening ceremony, Chile's Ambassador to Spain, Javier Velasco, presented Queen Letizia with a copy of Mistral's “Recados Completos”, a gesture that highlights the enduring relevance of her thought and her transnational influence. This was part of a series of activities organised by the Embassy of Chile in Madrid celebrating her legacy from a contemporary perspective, committed to women's rights, education, poetry and Latin American identity.

Chilean writer Lina Meruane and academic Luis Vargas, a specialist in Mistral's work, explored the writer's legacy, life and work.

The programme included readings of the Chilean poet's poems, a conversation between writer Lina Meruane and academic Luis Vargas, a specialist in Mistral's work, followed by a musical performance by the duo Emilia Lazo and Pablo Cáceres, who paid tribute to her writings through song.

On 7 June, at the RTVE stand, a public reading of the Nobel laureate's work took place with leading Chilean and Latin American actresses and writers such as Paulina Gálvez, Emilia Lazo, Claudia Apablaza and María Ángeles Osorio, among others. This activity reaffirmed the collective, feminist and contemporary dimension of her work.

A fair with an urban and affective outlook

The fair, held until 15 June in the Parque del Retiro, offers a rich programme around the themes “Affections and the city” and “Mosaic city”, exploring how literature draws emotional and political maps of the urban environment. In this edition, New York is the guest city, a significant symbol in Mistral's own life as well.

Chile's participation in this fair not only pays tribute to one of its great creators, but also projects her Ibero-American trajectory as a living tool of cultural diplomacy, critical thinking and dialogue across borders.