Alberto Manguel

The history of the book, the history of ourselves Alberto Manguel, essayist, editor and former director of the National Library of Argentina, has dedicated his work to thinking about the book as an object, memory and territory of thought. Author of landmark works such as A History of Reading, he proposes a reflection on how we read, write and preserve knowledge over time. In this opening lecture, he traces the history of the book and the written word not as a continuous line, but as a series of ruptures, reinventions and continuities. From manuscript to the digital age, reading emerges as both an intimate gesture and a political act, capable of shaping identities and transforming societies. An opening that is also an invitation: to read the world and rethink it.

To access BABELL sessions, even with a ticket in hand, you must always bring a book with you.