Avilés celebrated the third edition of the Festival of Fantastic Literature called Celsius 232 ( 30th of July – 2nd of August 2014) with a great success offering conferences, special guests speaches and books signings and an invitation for audiences to take part in plenty of activities. The streets of the city were bustling with life and events including outdoor cinema, street art, child and youth literature, book market, role games, fencing, fancy dress, animations and even a huge paella that was shared between authors and audiences alike.
232 Celsius (the name is making a clear homage to the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, referring to the temperature at which it burns a book, the exact conversion in centigrades of Fahrenheit 451) is a festival that was created to bring in the city of Avilés the best highlights of the international and national narrative genre, with particular emphasis on the creation of literary fantasy, science fiction and horror, while still reserving some space to other disciplines and occasionally other genres.
Avilés, the Oscar Niemeyer Center
Avilés, a small city of about ninety thousand inhabitants in the Asturias (north-western part of Spain) has starred for the third consecutive year the Celsius 232 Fantastic Literature Festival.
Celsius 232 Fantastic Literature Festival is one of the most important cultural SFF events in Europe, which says a lot about the ability of management, organization and high level of coordination for such an event held already for three years.
Tim Powers
Celsius 232 Fantastic Literature Festival hosted excellent conferences and open discussions with internationally recognized guest authors such as Tim Powers, Ian Watson, Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Glukhovsky, Lauren Oliver, and spanish guests as Jose Carlos Somoza, Rafa Marín, Rodolfo Martinez, Enrique J. Corominas, Susana Vallejo, Vanessa Montfort, María Zaragoza, Thanya Castrillón,Gabriella Campbell, Cristina Fallarás, Manel Loureiro, Laura Fernandez, Espido Freire, Ismael Martínez Biurrun, José Antonio Cotrina, Juan Miguel Aguilera, Hazael González, Pablo Solares, T. F. Famux, Fernando Marías, Manuel Vilas, Carlos Marzal, Raquel Lanseros, Ruth González Mesa Enrique Sánchez-Ramos, Jorge Usón, Marcelo Mercadante, etc.
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From left : Joe Abercrombie, Patrick Rothfuss, Brian Anderson
Historically this type of literature has enjoyed a special popularity among the public and also from the point of view of the critical and as important to their names are concerned, has enjoyed excellent rating by the critics. And that is without departing from the premise entertaining, has often been the genre where we have found the sharpest reflections of what the human being and society, or what we can become in certain circumstances. The genre has served as a mirror, but also and especially warning and moments in which freedom of speech was not what it is now, the field of freedom for important thoughts and ideas to reach readers.
The Celsius 232 Fantastic Literature Festival is built on a literary event of the highest worldwide, which combines more “academic” activities such as lectures or presentations with authors of books, activities “street” that bring us to the city’s street theater , demonstrations of strategy games, etc …
From left : Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ian Watson
Combining morning activities for the little ones with evening activities for the elderly. With numerous own activities, but also as a meeting place for other gender-related associations may arise and accommodate their activities. And always, of course, with free access for the audience.
From left : Dmitri Glukhovsky, Jose Carlos Somoza
The undoubted level, both qualitatively and quantitatively of over 200 professionals attending the Celsius 232 Fantastic Literature Festival ensures the presence in Avilés of many fans who visit for the first time the city and discover how wonderful and welcoming is Avilés.
Lauren Oliver
http://2014.celsius232.es/autores-2014/
http://cultura.elpais.com/cultura/2014/07/31/actualidad/1406812555_753014.html
http://www.fantifica.com/fandom/articulos/celsius-232-aviles-todo-lo-que-necesitas-saber/