As tradition, ABC Cultura offers its readers a review of the year which ends in all cultural fields: books, art, stage and screen. Remembering what is not worth forgetting and losing sight of what is not.
We start with a review … general “The year of political fire and identity homily”. The year 2025 ends with a cultural panorama marked by explicit institutional conflicts, an increasing politicization of creative space and a persistent and ongoing debate over cultural authority, legitimation and visibility.
In Books, in story, We analyze the “Spanish Story”, where, among other authors, Jorge Fernández Díaz, Héctor Abad Faciolince, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Elvira Navarro and Javier Cercas have published, and “The Great Foreign Literature”, with names such as Samantha Harvey, Richard Flanagan, Olga Tokarczuk, Gueorgui Gospodinov and Matei Visniec, among others. During these twelve months, profound and transformative works appeared that left their mark on us. From introspection to the International Space Station, through texts that explore worlds as diverse as war or classic cinema.
In Repetitionwe find ourselves “without news of the end, in the roar of a dark time”. The authors of the best nonfiction books and essays published in 2025 looked for parallels in history to wake us up, provide memories, examples and testimonies, and set out to understand the present and evoke great adventures. Among others, Fernando Belzunce, Carlos Granés, Juan Soto Ivars, Byung-Chul Han and Rafael Cansinos Assens have had their works printed.
In Comicwe saw “Vignettes that kept us awake”. Beyond their graphic aspect, comic strips reveal in 2025 a deep literary and social background. An invitation to reflect on the world in which we live.
In Scenarioswe enjoyed “A harvest that leaves a good aftertaste”. There was no shortage of quality theatrical, musical, lyrical and dance offerings on our stages this season. It was a good year, which finds – without surpassing – the rhythms before the pandemic and which leaves behind productions such as “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, “La Señorita de Trévelez”, “Numancia”, “A Macbeth Song” and “Les Misérables”.
In ArtABC Cultural’s critics dissect the year that we are about to close, selecting its best exhibitions, its proper names but also its enormous fiascos. Among other exhibitions, the group exhibitions “Other Surrealisms”, “This is the Real Thing”, “Zurbarán (Sur)Natural”, “Art Stories”, by Juan Muñoz, and “Chronicle of the Century”, by Martín Chirino, stand out. Likewise, in “The Classic Year 2025 (or 2025 as a classic year) we analyzed how these twelve months were framed by two deaths: that of the gallery owner and art collector Helga de Alvear, at the beginning, and that of the architect Frank Gehry, at the end. In between, exhibitions of great masters: Veronese, Zurbarán, El Greco…
In Musicwe find “The golden age of music in Spanish”. The earthquake generated by the latest albums by Rosalía and Bad Bunny confirms the global conquest of Latin in 2025, breaking reproduction records and, above all, winning the respect of the most cultured critics. Thus, “The algorithm, between Bad Bunny and Rosalía” remained, since these two giants ousted Taylor Swift. We also select the best international albums.
In Movie theaterwas “the year new voices came of age.” Oliver Laxe, Carla Simón and Alauda Ruiz de Azúa triumphed in international festivals with their mature films, in another season where Spanish cinema goes abroad. In Hollywood, veterans like Paul Thomas Anderson set the tone. And we review the ten titles highlighted in “Sentimental value and other values”.
In “Like the First Time”, we explore the television series. This year, returns were expected like the new season of “The White Lotus” or “The Last of Us”, but almost everything good remained to be discovered, which happened with the premieres of “Adolescence” or “Gangster Land”.
THE signature of the supplement do not fail in their weekly commitment to readers. In this case, Jorge Freire; Jorge Fernandez Diaz; Jesus Garcia Calero; Pedro G. Cuartango; María José Solano and José F. Peláez.
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