Inaugural Session at the Comendador Montenegro Library Auditorium
The Arte-Via Cooperative, based in Lousã, launches the 9th edition of the International
Literary Festival of the Interior (FLII) – Words of Fire, in homage to the victims of the
forest fires, under the motto “Art and culture as revitalizers of a region and a people”.
This festival has as its patron His Excellency the President of the Republic.
The associated partners are the Directorate-General for Books, Archives and Libraries
(DGLAB), the School Libraries Network (RBE), the National Reading Plan (PNL), the
University of Coimbra and the Coimbra Prison.
This is an intermunicipal event, hence its innovative character, which will take place in
nine municipalities in the region affected by the fires, with the aim of bringing books
and writers to the most unusual and unpredictable places, such as factories, fields,
beaches, churches, markets, pilgrimages, places where people work and live together.
In other words, the books go to meet the public because they also miss them.
This edition celebrates the centenary of the birth of Luiz Pacheco, “so as not to forget
that I am an exile from the interior,” and as usual, we will also address burning issues
for the future of the world, starting with the environmental emergency. The theme of
this edition will be “Genocides, the dark interior of Humanity.” We will also pay tribute
to Clara Pinto Correia, one of the first writers to participate in this festival.
This festival brings together municipalities / institutions from the municipalities of
Arganil, Coimbra, Condeixa-a-Nova, Lousã and Cape Verde.
Municipal libraries and school library networks are crucial in organizing FLII – Palavras
de Fogo/Words of Fire.
Taking place during the month of May, from May 7th to 10th, 2026, in five
municipalities in the districts of Coimbra, FLII – Palavras de Fogo aims to involve all
development agents from all participating municipalities and all local talents in all
activities to be carried out simultaneously: training sessions, competitions, lectures,
workshops, readings, book fairs, shows, multimedia, performances, installations,
exhibitions, for and with all audiences of all age groups.
The underlying concept of this festival is that of a synergistic achievement, catalysing
the resources of the municipalities and other institutions that are part of the consortium,
making the most of and enhancing the best that each one possesses, in a joint effort to
overcome adversity. And, in the name of the regenerative word, where there are people
there will be books.
They will be in the most unexpected places, within reach of anyone who wants to read
them; Portuguese and foreign writers will go to the most surprising places; books and
words will once again bring color back from the darkness.
During the month of May, there will again be a literary residency, whose guests will
travel through the municipalities of the consortium.
The founder and coordinator of FLII – Palavras de Fogo/Words of Fire
Ana Filomena Amaral / Writer