Guillem Balague, Nedum Onuoha and Louisa Treger set for Lit Fest

Three authors, Guillem Balague, Nedum Onuoha and Louisa Treger have been confirmed for this year's Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival. 

The Gibraltar Tourist Board has announced the authors on Monday, and they will join Sir Graham Brady, Asad Qureshi, Deb Bunt and Peter Berry. 

The Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival will take place from November 11 to 17, 2024. 

“These authors add to the diversity of the Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival’s 2024 line-up,” Minister for Culture and Tourism, Christian Santos, said. 

“I’m delighted that a familiar face will return to share his latest work, whilst we simultaneously welcome new authors to our vibrant and dynamic event.” 

Guillem Balague  

Returning to the Festival, Guillem Balague will discuss his two biographical books on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of which have recently been updated.  

His talk will give a fascinating insight into two footballers who have dominated football for the past two decades. Originally written in 2013, Balague’s first authorised account of the life of Leo Messi was full of insight and conversations with coaches, players, teachers and his family.  

The book, Messi was shortlisted for the Football Book Award in the UK in 2014.  

In November 2015, he published Cristiano Ronaldo, the Biography, which won the Football Book of the Year Award at the British Sports Book Awards and the Best Football Book of 2016 in Poland.  

A professional journalist and broadcaster, Mr Balague has a wealth of experience in interviewing some of the game’s most influential figures, including José Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Gareth Southgate, to name a few.  

Attendees to the Festival will have the opportunity to watch an interview witness as he joins fellow speaker Nedum Onuoha in conversation. 

Nedum Onuoha  

Continuing the football theme, Nedum Onuoha will present his book Kicking Back with an interactive event that will include an interview by fellow speaker and author Guillem Balague.  

“Onuoha was not a typical footballer, determined to continue his education despite the lure of a career under the spotlights,” a statement said. 

“Fiercely intelligent on and off the pitch, Onuoha developed into a talented defender and played his part in Manchester City’s meteoric rise.” 

He was at the Etihad stadium when they won their first Premier League title - as an opposition player for QPR, having left the club four months earlier.  

“In this characteristically forthright book, Mr Onuoha reveals what goes on behind the scenes at top-tier football clubs.” 

“Stuffed with insights into household names within the world of football from former England Manager Sven-Göran Eriksson to Roberto Mancini, this is football and its most famous figures as you’ve never seen them before.” 

Kicking back is also the story of one man’s search for identity: as a footballer, as a black man in England and as an outsider in the US during the 2020 Black Lives Matter Movement and presidential election. 

“What is it like to receive horrific racist abuse while doing your job? Mr Onuoha provides a damning assessment of the sport’s authorities, finally claiming his voice as he dives deep into a life spent on the pitch.” 

During the event, Mr Onuoha will welcome audience questions about himself, his industry and anything which they may have considered before but never had the chance to ask.  

Louisa Treger  

Dora Maar was a photographer, painter and poet, but is probably most famous as Pablo Picasso's lover and muse.  

Author Louisa Treger captures the complexity of this artist and muse relationship in her novel, The Paris Muse.  

In an interview format, Ms Treger will discuss the impact Maar and Picasso had on each other's life and work, an impact that nearly destroyed her.  

Ms Treger is the acclaimed author of four novels, including Madwoman (2022) which was a historical fiction Book of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times, and The Paris Muse (2024).  

She has written for The Times, The Telegraph, Tatler, BBC History Magazine and English Heritage.  

She has a First Class degree and a PhD in English Literature from UCL, and currently lives in London.