The Festival of Images and Words is a true literary celebration spanning language and culture. Those who love good literature will not only enjoy literary works in the Spanish language, but also they will enjoy their precise and artistic translations in English and French. Furthermore, Spanish speakers will also be able to familiarize themselves with the literary creations of Canadian writers of other origins through the translation of their work into Spanish.
The practice of translation as a facilitator of reciprocal understanding and appreciation, however, represents only one aspect of the Festival. Other events include round-table discussions in which the creative works of the Festival guest writers will be studied. The literary section of the Festival also offers to the public a great variety of readings of original works, as well as book launches, musical concerts, stage performances, and so much more.
The Festival of Images and Words is one of the main events promoted by the Cultural Celebration of the Spanish Language (CCIE), a non-profit group created in 1992 in commemoration of the fifth centenary of Christopher Columbuss arrival in America.
The CCIE infrastructure is composed of volunteers, some of whom have contributed actively since 1992. Through the Images and Words Festival the CCIE has had the support of academic institutions such as the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, and the University of Waterloo. In 1996, the CCIE moved to Glendon College at York University, where its offices are presently located. Through the years, the CCIE has developed programs, in collaboration with the Spanish Resource Center at York University, the Toronto Consulates of Spanish-speaking countries, the Hispanic Development Council, the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO), the Literary Translators Association of Canada (LTAC/ATTLC), the Toronto Public Libraries, and George Brown College.
Moreover, the Festival is supported by ANTARES Publishing House of Spanish Culture. Created in 2005 and incorporated in 2006, ANTARES is the only trilingual publisher in North America. It specializes in the publication of literary, cultural and academic works written in Spanish, as well as their translation Into French or English, and the translation to Spanish of material originally written in French or English. Our goal is to achieve the following objectives:
To encourage erudition and literary creativity
To publish academic and creative work including translations from or to Spanish
To promote the culture of the Spanish-speaking world
