Literature will be the main focus of the UJI Summer University in 2026. The course 'The Geographies of Fiction: Where Novels Happen' will take place in Benicàssim on July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. The event will explore from various perspectives the physical spaces, whether real, historical, or invented, where writers set their works.
The course is co-directed by writer Rosario Raro and professor Carmen Lázaro. It will feature renowned authors who have won the Planeta Prize, including Santiago Posteguillo, Luz Gabás, and Javier Sierra. Also participating will be José Calvo Poyato, José Luis Corral, Reyes Calderón, and Rosario Raro herself.
The course will delve into the relationship between spaces, landscapes, and the authors' creative processes, as well as how literary settings become pilgrimage sites for enthusiasts, both individually and through organized literary routes.
The first day will begin with the inauguration and a talk by Rosario Raro. Javier Sierra will discuss 'Museums as Novel Settings,' while Luz Gabás will explore literary landscapes with 'The Golden Dream: From the Pyrenees to California in the Mid-19th Century.' The day will conclude with a panel discussion by the three authors on 'Novels as Museums of Stories'.
The second day will focus on historical settings, journeying from Imperial Rome to 16th-century Spain. José Calvo Poyato will present 'Urban Geography of Two Cities in the 16th Century: Seville and Madrid.' José Luis Corral will analyze the role of landscape in his novels, and Santiago Posteguillo will offer a journey through 'From Historical Geographies to Imagined Geographies.' A panel discussion will close the day, reflecting on 'How to Narrate Stories in the Landscapes of the Past?'.
The final day will open with a presentation by Reyes Calderón, titled 'Time in Space. Writing in the Air.' It will also include a practical writing workshop, 'Places Inhabited by Unforgettable Stories,' coordinated by Rosario Raro, focusing on creating narrative spaces that play a significant role in the story. This practical session will conclude the course and this year's edition of the UJI Summer University.
