International and Catalan Authors to Headline Festival
More than 160 writers, artists, and thinkers will gather at Fabra i Coats (carrer de Sant Adrià, 20) and the Biblioteca Ignasi Iglésias from Wednesday 4th November to Sunday 8th November 2026 for the sixth edition of Festival 42, Barcelona’s Festival of Fantastic Genres. The event, organised by the Barcelona Institute of Culture through the 'Barcelona City of Literature UNESCO' programme, will host over 70 activities, two exhibitions, workshops, literary walks, and panel discussions, all free to attend.
Global Voices on Fear, AI and the Future
The festival’s central theme is confronting contemporary fears through non-mimetic storytelling. It will examine the impact of artificial intelligence on art, environmental collapse, dystopias, and the role of speculative fiction in imagining political alternatives. A major focus will be the centenary of horror and fantasy writer Richard Matheson, with dedicated sessions on his legacy alongside explorations of Lovecraftian mythos and ghost stories.
This year, Festival 42 sets out to explore present-day anxieties, possible futures, and fiction's power to interrogate reality.
Among the international guests are Ken Liu, who will speak on AI and artistic creation; Sequoia Nagamatsu, author of Fissures in the Light; Naomi Ishiguro, Laila Lalami, Charles Stross, Lisa Tuttle, Christopher Buehlman, and Jorge Volpi. Catalan literature is represented by Olga Xirinacs, Maite Carranza, Alicia Kopf, Laia Aguilar, Iván Ledesma, Ada Castells, and Martí Gironell. Spanish-language authors include Agustín Fernández Mallo, Cristina Fernández Cubas, Elaine Vilar Madruga, and Elia Barceló.
Key Panels and Genre Innovation
Major discussions include 'The Great Constellation of Fantastic Voices' and 'The 42 Keynote Panel: An International Mapping of Fantastic Genres', which will bring together global perspectives on speculative storytelling. Panels will also address emerging trends such as romantasy, conceptual horror, and the blurring boundaries between genres.
42 Awards Ceremony and Winner Roundtable
The 42 Awards, which celebrate outstanding works in fantastic and non-realist literature across 10 categories, will be presented on Friday 6th November at 8 PM in Room 2 of Fabra i Coats. The following day, Saturday 7th November, will feature a round table with the winning authors.
How to Attend
All events are free and take place at Fabra i Coats and Biblioteca Ignasi Iglésias. No registration is required for general access, though specific workshops may have limited capacity. The full programme is available via the Festival 42 official page on Barcelona Cultura’s website.
Sources: betevé, Ajuntament de Barcelona.
