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For nine days in July, the city of Gijón transformed into the capital of crime novels for the eighth time. The list of crime-themed weeks is longer than many realize. Nord Noir has its own Paskekrim in Norway, where for four days even children in schools solve crimes. In Scotland, Shetland Noir one of the most important English-language events, where fans of the genre can meet their favorite authors and attend concerts and other special events.

The most recent event, Noir Week Miami, which first opened its doors last August, also promises to be an interesting gathering for Ibero-American writers.

The great Spanish tradition finds a worthy successor in Buenos Aires today. On Wednesday, October 1st second Crime Novel Festival begins , with more than 80 guests in attendance. The program includes lectures, tributes to great authors, and workshops. This second edition will take place at three venues: the Buenos Aires Cultural Center, the Spanish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, and the "Fondo de Cultura Económica" . For four days, various activities can be enjoyed completely free of charge.

The opening address will be given by the multifaceted Jorge Fernández Díaz . The renowned journalist and writer was recently awarded the Mariano de Cavia Prize and also received a Platinum Konex Award. He only ventured into this genre ten years ago, creating the emblematic Remil, an equally skilled and shady secret agent. Fernández Díaz explained last Saturday on his radio program that, in his opinion, the noir novel gained recognition Jorge Luis Borges Six Problems for Don Isidro Parodi and the novel A Model for Death .

Much has been written about the complex relationship of Argentina's most important writer to the crime fiction genre. In a 1978 speech Borges an overview of detective novels. He begins by describing the reader the detective novel has created, whom he calls skeptical and suspicious. He then asserts that Edgard Allan Poe is the father of the detective story, and a few lines later, he emphasizes that the mystery is always solved through intelligence. In his opinion, the detective novel is an intellectual genre, whose finest representatives Wilkie Collins and Chesterton . Finally, he stresses that while the genre has clearly lost some of its significance due to its focus on realism, it still has something remarkable to offer: despite the fluctuations in literature, the detective novel has retained its classical structure, and that is highly commendable.

The Argentine crime novel has a long and rich history. The first Argentine crime novel, " La huella del crimen " (The Trail of Crime), was written by Waleis However, I prefer to refer to its rebirth at the beginning of the 21st century. The Argentine "black wave" is characterized by the emergence of female authors who have revitalized the genre, introduced new themes, and given it a deeper social perspective. Authors such as the multi-award-winning Claudia Piñeiro , author of " Las viudas de los jueves " (The Widows of Thursday), or Florencia Etcheves with her saga of detective Francisco Juarez, break with norms and challenge the genre.

For all lovers of crime novels, it is a real treat to attend Claudia Piñeiro and Carlos Zanón , the prolific Catalan author, about the latest developments in the genre on both sides of the Atlantic Thursday, October 2 ). Another outstanding presentation will surely be that by Paula Martínez (France), David Knutson (USA), and Guillermo Orsi (Argentina) on the tradition of noir in America ( Saturday, October 4 ). (See full program )

A special feature of this edition is the Tour del Hampa (Underworld Tour), a guided tour of locations in the San Telmo connected to real crimes. Starting from the Casa de la Cultura and accompanied by two renowned crime journalists, this traditional Buenos Aires be explored on foot, with stops at places hidden from view, such as the hideout of a notorious gang of thieves or a prison tucked away in the heart of the city. A must for anyone in Buenos Aires at 4 p.m. on Friday, October 3rd or Saturday, October 4th .

Another unusual offering is the Espacio Moebius ( Moebius Room ) . On the day of the event , a comic strip based on the famous story " El pulpo negro" (The Black Octopus) by Narciso Ibáñez Menta live . This miniseries, broadcast on Canal 9 in 1985, ran for one hour. The lead actor, the Spanish actor Narciso Ibáñez Menta , used all the tools of theater to create genuine fear.

Although it only aired for two months, it became a cult classic. Forty years later, the episodes have been digitized and can be viewed on YouTube. The comic is created using the "Cadáver Exquisito" (exquisite corpse) technique. A daring and original project that we hope you'll enjoy with us. I look forward to seeing you there!