Santa Cruz Book Fair Highlights Canary Islands’ Literary Heritage

The recent Santa Cruz de Tenerife Book Fair showcased the strength of local literature and the importance of preserving the Canary Islands' cultural identity. Held at the Ángel Guimerá Cultural Space, the event featured the launch of two new books published by the Canary Islands Popular Culture Center (CCPC) and the Cabildo of Tenerife: Carmelo Rivero’s poetry collection, Como miran los mares. Teoría del redoble de cortejos, and the third edition of 365 coplas. Año canario by Luis Carrasco.

These releases highlight the ongoing significance of island poetry. For Carmelo Rivero, an editorial advisor at Diario de Avisos, this collection is a personal milestone. He rediscovered a manuscript he wrote thirty years ago during a prolific period in 1995. The book, which includes illustrations by Juan Luis Calero, also features a new poem titled Belvedere, where Rivero reflects on today’s unstable political climate in Europe. Rivero, who traced his poetic roots back to his youth and his 1973 success at the Julio Tovar Prize, considers this his first published collection.

The reissue of 365 coplas. Año canario highlights the enduring value of oral tradition and folk poetry in Canarian literature. Moderated by Carmen Delia Leal, the presentation included a tribute from Blanca Carrasco to her late father, Luis Carrasco. A physician and former socialist councilman in Santa Cruz, Carrasco was known for his wide-ranging interests—a quality scholar Antonio Martinón described as a form of "Renaissance humanism" suited to the islands.

By bringing these two works together, the event underscored a growing trend in Canarian culture: the effort to balance historical memory with modern creativity. Supported by the Cabildo, these publishing projects help ensure that both traditional coplas and contemporary poetry remain a vital part of the region's literary landscape.