A privileged, quiet, and inspiring environment with views of the bay and all the amenities of A Coruña’s historic center within easy reach.
A private initiative of an individual poet, the 1863 Literary Residence establishes agreements with public and private entities aimed at promoting creative writing in general or the literature of their countries in particular.
They sponsor stays of usually one month in our retreat for writers in the historic centre of A Coruña.
In collaboration with them, we launch competitive calls for proposals for literary creation projects that are candidates to be developed in our centre. Applications usually include: a report on the project to be developed during the residency, a CV or biobibliography, a sample of previous work and a letter of motivation.
Without the management of our literary residence taking part in them, evaluation committees are set up with people of recognised prestige in the world of literature. They study and select the project worthy of the residency opportunity.
In addition to accommodation (with water, electricity, wifi, electrical appliances, cleaning service and airport pick-up), the grants usually include travel to A Coruña and a subsistence allowance during the month of the residency.
Close to one of the best and most genuine food markets in the city, the beneficiaries can cook in the residence’s own kitchen, or visit the many restaurants and tapas bars that surround it.
In addition, we establish small agreements with institutions, entities and spaces present in our city to welcome our residents in some special way. That is why they are often invited to the theatre, concerts, museums, book presentations, talks or recitals.
If they wish, we share the presence and the work of our residents on social networks, for whom we carry out a small photo session. Although they are designed for individual stays alone and with full autonomy, there is always someone in the city to whom the resident can turn to if necessary. A Coruña is a very safe, comfortable, easy to reach, lively and friendly city.
Writers in residence have the opportunity to present their work in the context of a bookshop, book club or library in the city or the province. This is in addition to meetings – perhaps more informal – with writers, publishers, artists and other cultural producers from Galicia and Spain.
Sponsored by A Coruña City Council.
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2021)
Sponsored by the Culture Department of Xunta de Galicia.
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2021)
Sponsored by the General Department for Language Policy of the Principality of Asturias.
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2021)
Sponsored by the Spanish Culture Centre in Santo Domingo.
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2023).
Sponsored by the Etxepare Basque Institute.
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2023)
Sponsored by the Cultural Center of Spain in Panama – Casa del Soldado.
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2025)
Sponsored by the City Council of A Coruña
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2022)
Sponsored by the Culture Department of Xunta de Galicia.
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2022)
Sponsored by the Spanish Culture Centre in Tegucigalpa.
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2024)
Sponsored by the Department of Social Welfare, Participation and Equality of A Coruña City Council.
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2025)
Sponsored by Deleite
(Frequency: annual. Start date: 2025)
Aware of the current Galician Literature, of its level of diversity and literary excellence, of its creative ambition, of its potential and its capacity for internationalisation, our entity is at the same time aware of the scarce public or private channels capable of promoting it abroad.
Thus, the 1863 Literary Residence not only welcomes writers or translators in its centre in A Coruña, but also develops exchange programmes (with countries such as Austria, Georgia or Ireland) or international projection of Galician literature: it manages residences abroad for authors in Galician language.
Thanks to them, Galician narrators, playwrights and poets have deepened their creative work from centres located in countries such as Iceland, Palestine, Turkey, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Poland or other areas of Spain (such as Andalusia).
All of them enjoyed seasons in which to dedicate themselves entirely to their creative facet while enriching their international profiles and broadening their horizons of cultural and vital reference.
Some of the centres and institutions that have hosted our Galician writers in residence are:
Another of the ways in which the 1863 Literary Residence works is through the Personalised Grants. These include grants for mobility in residence or specifically for projects in residence, which are available to the administrations of many states and territories around the world.
After reviewing the applicant’s profile and work, we extend official invitations to our residency and thus support the search for funds to support it, managed by the interested party with institutions in his/her country.
Finally, the MICRO-RESIDENCES consist of programmes in which – in addition to what the Residencia Literaria 1863 provides – the authors pay for a large part of the stays from their private capital, in order to avoid waiting times and competitive processes. They simply reserve the dates and come to take refuge to write.
Although our calendar is mostly taken up with grants in collaboration with organisations, we occasionally open dates for these types of self-financed residency opportunities, which usually last one or two weeks.
Since 2019, we have collaborated and set up residency exchanges with entities such as:
