ELECTRA, the National Library of Portugal and the French Institute of Portugal are organising a talk on ‘The book’, the theme of the Electra 28 dossier, with the participation of Roger Chartier (in Lisbon at the invitation of the IFP), historian and professor emeritus at the Collège de France, Diogo Ramada Curto, director general of the National Library, and António Guerreiro, editor of Electra. The talk will take place on 26 May at 6.00pm at the National Library auditorium (Campo Grande, 83).

In the interview published in this issue, Roger Chartier states: ‘Schools, universities and the media share the responsiblity of emphasising the essential role of the book in transmitting true knowledge, proven knowledge, which is fundamental in the world of alternative truths, fake news, fraudulent rewritings of the past, and demagogic manipulations of emotions.’

Admission is free

Roger Chartier is professor emeritus at the Collège de France and Annenberg Visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Lisbon. His field of study is the history of written culture between the 15th and 18th centuries.

Historian Diogo Ramada Curto is director general of the National Library of Portugal and deputy commissioner of the Commemorations of the 5th Centenary of the Birth of Luís de Camões. He co-directs the ‘History and Society’ collection at Edições 70.