THE VOICE OF THE CLASSICS: Literature and Desire at CaixaForum

Four great classical authors, four eras, four perspectives on desire.

The Voice of the Classics: Literature and Desire series explores the literary universes of four classics of world literature through three languages: music, narration, and performance. These are three ways to delve into the work of great authors and some of their central texts that revolve around desire.

This series is part of Classics: Festival of Contemporary Arts and Thought, hosted by La Casa dels Clàssics.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

Emma Bovary embodies desire in its purest form: the relentless pursuit of an ideal passion, an absolute love that escapes routine and convention. We'll delve into Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary to explore how desire transforms into illusion, longing, and, ultimately, a tragic destiny. We'll relive Emma's emotions and discover how her story continues to speak to us.

A dramatized reading that combines a performance by Alba Pujol with live music by Marc Heredia, preceded by an introduction by Marina Porras, which brings us closer to the text, the questions it raises, and its complexities.

The affinities of JW von Goethe

Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

Through Elective Affinities, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe invites us to reflect on desire as a transformative, inevitable, and, in many cases, destructive force. This performance explores how attraction, morality, and freedom collide in a dance of feelings and fates. Through the combination of voice, music, and movement, we will bring to life the emotions latent in this masterpiece, highlighting its relevance and its ability to move us today.

A dramatized reading featuring actors Mireia Aixalà and Ivan Benet, accompanied by essayist and writer Simona Škrabec, who will bring us closer to the reading of Elective Affinities, all directed by Clara Manyós.

Poems by Emily Dickinson

Wednesday, November 19, 2025.

Emily Dickinson is one of the most unique and enigmatic voices in American literature. Through a critical and emotional reading of her verse, we will explore how her work constructs a cosmos of its own in relation to desire. An invitation to discover the intensity of a desire that, far from being merely carnal or romantic, unfolds as a constant search for meaning, freedom, and transcendence.

A poetry reading by actress Laura Aubert, with the participation of Míriam Cano, under the direction of Clara Manyós.

Sonnets by William Shakespeare

Wednesday, November 26, 2025.

Considered one of the greatest writers in world literature, Shakespeare speaks openly about desire and love. We'll discover his literary universe through his sonnets, an intense and fascinating work that explores desire in all its forms: passionate love, beauty, envy... We'll bring these immortal verses to life to discover how the poet's voice continues to resonate powerfully.

Jordi Fité's introduction, along with actress Júlia Truyol's performance, accompanied by music by Jeremy Nastasi and conducted by Clara Manyós, invites us to explore the intensity and relevance of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Don't miss it!