Barcelona Festival Features Poetry in Many Tongues

The 41st International Poetry Festival of Barcelona recently unfolded at the Palau de la Música. For years, hearing poetry in languages other than one’s own was rare, with novelty often overshadowing the work itself. Now, with increased access to global arts through digital platforms, the festival presents poetry in Catalan, Spanish, Turkish, Kannada, Amharic, and English.

Performers like Adnan Özer recited in Turkish, while Miriam Reyes, originally from Galicia and now based in Barcelona, shared poems from her National Poetry Prize-winning book. Bewketu Seyoum performed in Amharic, and Susanna Rafart blended spiritual song with published and unpublished verse.

The festival included performances from Mamta Sagar, who sang in Kannada, and Eduard Sanahuja, who dedicated poems to teachers and victims of the 2024 Valencia flood. Koleka Putuma, a South African poet, closed the event with a powerful call for accountability. The festival’s organizers acknowledge that while variety has increased, the work of bringing these voices together continues.