Tres Culturas Foundation brings together several reading clubs around Portuguese singer-songwriter Luísa Sobral’s debut novel celebrating Interreg Cooperation Day.

An INTREPIDA event featuring translator Rosa Martínez Alfaro and editor Aránzazu Sumalla

In the framework of Interreg Cooperation Day, the Tres Culturas Foundation brought together more than 80 people in Seville for a new INTREPIDA event following the reading of the debut novel by Portuguese singer-songwriter Luísa Sobral, Nem todas as árvores morrem em pé (No todos los árboles mueren de pie, Editorial Dom Quixote-LeYa).

The event brought together three different reading clubs, as well as other readers who had read the novel in both Spanish and Portuguese, creating a space for dialogue around Portuguese literature and its translation into Spanish.

The event featured Rosa Martínez Alfaro, the translator of the novel from Portuguese into Spanish, and Aránzazu Sumalla, Executive Editor at Lunwerg (Grupo Planeta), responsible for the Spanish edition of the book. They discussed the literary translation process and the challenges and opportunities involved in bringing the work of a Portuguese author to Spanish readers.

The conversation was moderated by Conceição Silva, Portuguese language teacher at the University of Seville and founder of the Centro Cultural Lusófono, as well as coordinator of the Portuguese-language reading club Ramilhetes at the Provincial Public Library of Seville, and Olga Cuadrado, Head of the Library of the Tres Culturas Foundation and coordinator of the Tres con Libros reading club.

The activity provided an opportunity to explore in greater depth the complex process of transferring a literary work from one language to another, as well as the role of publishers in supporting new authors and promoting cultural exchange between Spain and Portugal.

The event took place as part of the celebration of Interreg Cooperation Day, which this year marks its 15th anniversary and highlights the importance of bringing cross-border cooperation projects closer to citizens, encouraging their participation and raising awareness of the opportunities they offer.

Through this activity, the Tres Culturas Foundation continues to promote the INTREPIDA pro project — Internationalisation of Women Entrepreneurs from Spain and Portugal towards Integration, Development and Alliances — funded by the European Union through the Interreg Spain-Portugal (POCTEP) programme, the European Union’s largest cross-border cooperation programme, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.

Led by the Tres Culturas Foundation, the project brings together the Mancomunidad de Desarrollo Condado de Huelva, the Núcleo Empresarial da Região de Évora (NERE), the Fundación Bahía de Cádiz para el Desarrollo Económico, and the Associação Empresarial da Região do Algarve (NERA). Its aim is to strengthen cooperation between Andalusia, the Algarve and Alentejo, while promoting new opportunities for entrepreneurship and business exchange between Spain and Portugal.