Literary world gets 'privileged' stage at one of Portugal's biggest music festivals

At a summer festival, music is, most of the time, the main attraction. But in recent years, major events in Portugal have been trying to go beyond convention, giving a stage to other forms of cultural expression.

And at this edition of NOS Alive, on the Passeio Marítimo de Algés, in Lisbon, the world of literature is being offered a privileged way of engaging with the public, through an initiative which, according to the festival organisers, (source in Portuguese) takes shape as a "space dedicated to books, writing and the power of stories".

This Literary Stage, as it has been dubbed, is one of the main innovations of what is already the 18th edition of one of Portugal’s busiest summer festivals, which this year runs from 9 to 11 July and has a maximum capacity of 55,000 people per day. A threshold that will be reached this Friday and also on Saturday, days for which tickets are already sold out.

Valter Hugo Mãe, whose work has been translated into several languages (including titles such as A Desumanização, O paraíso são os outros and O apocalipse dos trabalhadores,), was among the Portuguese writers invited to lead one of the literary conversations held on NOS Alive’s opening day, which began on Thursday, in a session hosted by the writer and broadcaster Ana Markl.

Speaking to Euronews, the author stressed that he sees as "important all initiatives that bring books closer to people, that take books to where people are". For that reason, he said it is essential not to create "prejudices about where this or that should belong, so that, ultimately, every place can be a place for books".

For the author, literature plays a fundamental role. "For me, books are profoundly humanising, they are a symptom of humanity’s maturity. That’s why wherever we have books, we have hope; wherever we have books, we are building something that it is absolutely essential not to let slip from our grasp."

On stage in conversation with Ana Markl, Valter Hugo Mãe also warned of the dangers that new technologies and, in particular, Artificial Intelligence, pose not only to cultural creation but also to humanity as a whole.

"New technologies are dazzling; obviously they are fascinating, because they enhance solutions we have always longed for. The problem with new technologies comes at the point where, instead of solving our problems, they may end up proposing a replacement for what we are," the writer warned.

In the artistic sphere, when it comes to "these new technologies that seem to make it easier to write a text or compose a song", it is necessary for each of us to understand that "being drawn to that convenience, that ease, will not place us before what is human", Valter Hugo Mãe argued.

"What interest would I have in a beautiful love poem that a machine has invented for me? Ultimately, isn’t a beautiful love poem always a form of relationship between someone who reads and someone who writes?" the Portuguese writer reflected.

Among the names due to appear on the Literary Stage at this edition of NOS Alive are: Pedro Chagas Freitas, who was also on Thursday’s bill, again in conversation with Ana Markl; Afonso Cruz, Luísa Sobral and Pedro Boucherie Mendes on Friday afternoon; and Francisco Guimarães, Ana Bárbara Pedrosa, David Azevedo Lopes and Hugo van der Ding on Saturday, the final day of the festival.

At the same time, beyond promoting debate about the literary world, the initiative also gives the public the chance to buy, on site, books by the participating authors and ask them for autographs. And many took up the offer.

And for those for whom having "extra weight" in their rucksacks might have been a hindrance, a partnership with FNAC and CTT – the Portuguese postal service – means that the books can be sent home free of charge after purchase.

Visitors have likewise praised the creation of this literary space, showing that at a music festival there is also room for other artistic forms. After all, in recent years the event has made a point of diversifying its cultural offer, notably through a stage where fado is the main attraction and another where comedy aims to win over audiences with laughter.

Dulce Pinto, one of the many thousands of people who turned up on the festival’s opening day, confided to Euronews that when she arrived at the site on Thursday, "she wasn’t expecting to find a little literary corner". Let alone "find Valter Hugo Mãe signing books".

In her view, this was an "out of the box" moment that took shape through a "fun, appealing initiative". One which, she added, "makes perfect sense", because literature is also a form of "cultural expression" and "a good little book never takes up space".

Pedro Fernandes, another festival-goer, confided that he came "earlier" to the site so he could make the most of the opportunity to attend the talk with Valter Hugo Mãe as the main attraction. Including such an activity in a summer festival "makes perfect sense", he also said, because literature, like music, "is also culture and art".

For this spectator, the decision to arrive early turned out to be highly rewarding: "I gained [the possibility] of being able to see Valter Hugo Mãe in person. It’s the first time I’ve seen him. And he is an author I am now starting to follow with great interest. And besides that, the conversation was very interesting because his latest book, the most recent one, [O Século dos Imbecis], deals with a topic that interests me greatly."

On the musical side, Thursday 9 July was marked by concerts from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Twenty One Pilots, the top headliners on the first day of the 18th edition of NOS Alive.

However, Foo Fighters, Skunk Anansie, Teddy Swims, Lorde, Florence + The Machine and Buraka Som Sistema are among the most eagerly awaited acts for the tens of thousands of festival-goers who, between Friday and Saturday, are expected at the site for two more days of the festival.