"In a year of celebration, Livros a Oeste -- Festival do Leitor could not fail to celebrate the freedom that removed the gags from words and literature in Portugal. April 25th opened a chapter, not only of political democracy, but also of cultural democracy, with greater civic participation, namely through artistic expression. The diversity programmed for this edition is a reflection of this plurality, which we want to value", said José Tomé, vice-president of the Municipality of Lourinhã, quoted in a press release.

In addition to talks with authors, book presentations and workshops, this year's edition includes interactive and multidisciplinary moments.

An example of this is, on the first day, the artistic installation "Three Lights Turned on at the Same Time in Three Different Windows", created by Portuguese musician noiserv based on a book and which seeks to appeal to listening to the other, through a work that crosses the universes of literature and music.

Also to cross different artistic languages, on the first day, Portuguese rapper Sam The Kid joins linguist Marco Neves to record a special broadcast of the podcast "Assim ou Assado", about myths and curiosities of the Portuguese language, with simultaneous translation in Portuguese sign language.

Afonso Cruz, Virgílio Castelo (day 14), Telma Tvon, Alice Neto de Sousa, Maria Caetano Vilalobos (15), Duncan Simpson, José Pacheco Pereira, Nuno Artur Silva, Rui Oliveira Marques (16), Cláudia Lucas Chéu, Vítor Belanciano, Sérgio Godinho, Rui Cardoso, Raquel Varela (17), Rui Zink and Ana Aranha (18) will talk to readers about various topics.

In addition to book presentations and talks with authors, the festival includes sessions dedicated to children, workshops, a reading contest, street readings, the usual book fair and cinema with the screening of the short film "The Ice Merchants", by João González, which in 2023 was among the nominees for the Hollywood Oscars.

This year's edition also focuses on the life and work of Cesário Verde and the 500th anniversary of Camões.

An exhibition built from the book "Portuguese Reconstruction", an artistic and political project from various countries that deconstructs the fascist constitution of 1933, will be on display at the Lourinhã Municipal Library.

The before and after of April 25, 1974 will be evoked at various moments, highlighting the presence of Ana da Silveira Moura and Eurico Reis, retired desembargador judge and founder of the civic movement Não Apaguem a Memória.

The festival ends, on the 18th, with a concert by the band Boémia, which marks 25 years of existence and revisits the days between April 25, 1974 and November 25, 1975.

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