Santiago del Estero celebrates the 15th Book Fair with Liliana Heker and other distinguished guests.

Almost a thousand kilometers from Buenos Aires, where major cultural events usually take place, another festival of words is about to begin. In Santiago del Estero , the heart of northern Argentina, literature will once again take over the city with the 15th edition of the Book Fair, taking place from today until September 28 .

For five days , two iconic venues—the Forum Convention Center (Perú 510) and the Bicentennial Cultural Center (Libertad 439)—will be transformed into venues for presentations, talks, debates, and shows with free admission . In this way, Argentina's cultural landscape expands once again, a reminder that books transcend any geographical border.

The opening ceremony will be held today at 7:30 p.m. in the Bernardo Canal Feijóo room of the Fórum and will feature the distinguished writer Liliana Heker, who will give the inaugural lecture, just as she did at the FILBA in Buenos Aires in 2024. Also participating will be Chief of Staff Elías Suárez and Christian Rainone, president of the El Libro Foundation, an institution that, together with the provincial government, organizes this event that has already earned a prominent place on the country's cultural map.

In an interview with Clarín , Rainone underlined the special nature of this edition with a message that combines celebration and a commitment to the future: “Celebrating a round number is always a source of pride and joy. Just as Buenos Aires will commemorate the 50th edition of its International Book Fair in 2026, today Santiago del Estero is dressing up for the 15th edition of its Book Fair , already consolidated as one of the most important and emblematic in northern Argentina,” she says, adding that this edition “comes with an excellent program: top-level authors, admired publishers, talks, workshops, shows, and activities for all ages.”

Also notable is the presence of book vouchers , already a classic at these events: “This year , 7,000 book vouchers worth $7,000 will be given to students, a powerful tool that will allow them to choose and take home a book , start or strengthen their own library, and, above all, discover the pleasure of reading by choice. Santiago del Estero is strongly committed to culture, and this Fair demonstrates this in every detail.”

The fair's schedule brings together prominent figures in the worlds of literature, journalism, philosophy, and the performing arts. Among those present are Martín Kohan, Selva Almada, Vicente Battista, Iván Noble, Santiago Speranza, Marcos Novaro, and Raúl Timerman.

Among the highlights, journalist Alejandro Bercovich will present his book The Country That Owners Want and will broadcast his radio program Things Happened live from the fair.

Writer Federico Jeanmaire will be offering a reading of Don Quixote and will also share the stage with poets from the region. He tells Clarín that his connection with the province goes back a long way: “ I started going in 2005. I taught a literary workshop with many young people, which the Municipality organized at the time. I went once a month and taught classes on Friday nights and Saturday mornings and afternoons. It was a wonderful experience with many young people . Now, one of them, Andrés Navarro, is one of the poets I'm introducing this Friday. There are others who have also published,” he comments.

And he expands on what visiting that province means to him: “ It's meeting a lot of friendly, beloved people. It's a city I love . Right now, something I'm also really excited about is that I'll be able to teach a reading workshop at the teachers' college that just opened in Santiago. The Santiago Fair is a great fair, one of the most comprehensive; all the poets from the northern region come together. It's a great time to be there for a few days, walking and talking with the people.”

Jeanmaire's connection with Santiago del Estero sums up one of the features that distinguish this fair: its federal character , which transcends the presence of major figures and gives rise to poets and writers from the region, consolidating it as a space for cultural exchange between diverse generations and geographies.

Other interesting activities will feature, for example, the Eternaut . Héctor Germán Oesterheld's grandson, Martín Oesterheld, will talk with Pablo Álvarez about the relevance of this comic book turned Netflix series, his creative decisions in the audiovisual version (casting, tone, updating), and how this collective hero continues to win over new generations.

The fair will also offer unique moments such as James Joyce's monologue Molly Bloom, performed by actress Cristina Banegas; and Darío Sztajnszrajber's highly anticipated lecture on love, a classic that typically draws a diverse and large audience.

With activities designed for different audiences , the fair aims to be an inclusive experience. There will be fanzine and comic book workshops, origami, debates on critical thinking, readings of fables and legends, and spaces for writing poems. For the whole family, there's the immersive "Jurassic World" experience , which promises to appeal to both adults and children.

The fair will also host a blood donation campaign , coordinated by the Provincial Blood Bank's Outreach Team, which adds a charitable dimension to the cultural event.

Organized by the Government of Santiago del Estero in conjunction with the El Libro Foundation, the fair features the participation of the provincial Undersecretariat of Culture, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the National University of Santiago del Estero, the Federation of Popular Libraries, and the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, as well as bookstores and cultural groups.