Much like the island imagined by More, literature is a utopia that defends and projects a certain idea of common good. Simultaneously, it is through parables and images that authors succeed in exposing the fears, dreams and desires of mankind.

At the heart of the Utopia Literary Festival pulses the greatest of inventions, one that is present in all branches of the arts, science and knowledge: the book. A simple object whose technical aspects have scarcely changed over the centuries. A tool that helps us understand the world and which remains, even in our accelerated times, the greatest vessel for lasting cultural capital.

The programme will consist of talks, shows, workshops, activities for schools, interviews, exhibitions, literary tours and much more over the course of 11 days. Most of the programme will take place at Espaço Vita, though other venues, such as Theatro Circo, will also stage parts of Utopia.

All literature is a Utopia, and Utopia embraces and is suffused with all kinds of literature, books in their various shapes and forms, books as cornerstones of other arts and cultural manifestations.

Over the course of 11 days, Braga – one of the youngest, most dynamic cities in Portugal – will be the home, depository and driving force of the best that books have to offer. Welcoming all cultures and their multiple manifestations, respecting and fostering diversity, it will be the gateway to a gathering of those who meet and express themselves through books, in an event with great potential visibility and over 100 guests, which will marshal the cultural forces in the city – universities, libraries, bookstores, venues – and renowned authors from around the world, while being replicable abroad.

Promoter: The Book Company
Main partner: Braga City Council.
Media partner: Público,RTP, Antena 1 and Antena 2.

Support: Turismo de Portugal, within the program Portugal Events.
Sponsors and Partners: dstgroup, Assembleia da República, Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda, Festival Literário 5L (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa), CCDR-Norte, Embaixada de Itália, Instituto Ramon Llull, Confiauto,  Pingo Doce, McDonald’s Braga, Plano Nacional de Leitura, Festival Puro Conto/Casa da América Latina, Universidade do Minho, Conservatório Bomfim, DGLAB, Direção Regional de Cultura do Norte, Edigma, Diário do Minho, Espaço Vita, Ent’artes, F3M, Fnac, Caminhos Cruzados, Letra, Myrtillus, Porta Nova Collection House, Quiz Braga.