It was officially unveiled in Madrid, at the Office of Tourist Promotion of Castilla-La Mancha, the crime fiction festival La Condená, which will take place on September 24, 25 and 26 in Villarejo Periesteban. Celebrating culture in a village of 375 inhabitants, so small that the authors would have passed it by, has been the passion of the organizers, the writers Ana Fernández Escribano and Inés Plana. “We want to place it on the map of national literary competitions, because it is a festival designed with ambition,” they say.
Its location at an altitude of 1,000 meters, its natural setting descending from the tallest hill, the one named La Condená which gives the festival its name, down to the plain between the Marimota and Pontón rivers, make this 375-inhabitant municipality a place of tradition and scenery in the Lower Cuenca Serranía. Villarejo Periesteban possesses the charm of truly rural life, offering identity, gastronomy and nature, which will attract not only the locals but also the cultural community of Cuenca city and its surrounding area.
What La Condená Will Be
It is going to be a festival with ambition. The promoters and organizers have aimed to measure themselves against the greats, with impeccable organization, extensive media coverage in the Cuenca press and on social networks, the attendance of notable authors in the crime fiction world, such as Santiago Díaz, Cruz Morcillo, Marta Robles, Jon Arretxe and Carlos Bassas, high doses of true crime, and criminology professionals. There will be literary panels, book signings and activities, such as the gastronomic fair, in which the festival will interact with the people of Villarejo and with the entire audience that gravitates toward this celebration of literature. Buses will be chartered to bring in the numerous reading clubs from Cuenca and the surrounding region. In short, La Condená will shine; the audience and the authors will be its light.
“Choosing Villarejo Periesteban was not a logistical decision, but a narrative one,” explain the festival’s organizers. “We want readers to walk along the same streets where their favorite authors can imagine their stories. Villarejo is not just a venue; it is a character in the plot. La Condená will be a meeting point, a space for debate and, above all, local pride, a unique opportunity for neighbors to enjoy culture firsthand and for visitors to discover the hospitality and heritage of La Mancha Conquense under a new light, the light of noir.”
Villarejo Periesteban holds a mystery, and everyone is invited to become part of it.