Azkuna Zentroa
Gutun Zuria Bilbao is an annual event where leading figures of contemporary literature and the newest literary voices gather to celebrate the written word in all its forms: fiction, poetry, essays and novels. This year it will take place from 25 February to 1 March.
The Festival is a blank slate that is rewritten with each edition. In 2025, the Festival aims to counteract the state of decline that is destroying society by encouraging optimism through creativity in literature, art and thought.
Gutun Zuria Bilbao is an open, diverse and interdisciplinary Festival where all languages, audiences and creative disciplines are welcome and where Basque culture plays a prominent role. A festival that features conversations with more than twenty Basque, Spanish and international authors, reflecting the richness of today’s creative landscape.
At Gutun Zuria, words transcend the borders of the book’s pages to engage in dialogue with the rest of the artistic disciplines. The event features workshops aimed at discovering the narrative possibilities of art, book presentations and publications produced by Azkuna Zentroa, that showcase and amplify the Centre’s work.
It is within this framework of literary creation that BBK and Azkuna Zentroa - Alhóndiga Bilbao present the BBK Gutun Zuria Bilbao Saria award.
In this fourth edition, the Makila of Honour is awarded to Itxaro Borda for her prolific career and her contribution to Basque literature; and to the Argentine writer Leila Guerriero, one of the great names in Latin American narrative journalism. Both will receive the traditional Basque Makila on the opening day of the Festival, Tuesday, 25 February.
