The magnetic and viral speech of Queen Letizia about social networks and reading at the SM Awards for Children's and Young Adult Literature

Queen Letizia Ortiz once again grabbed headlines with one of her most personal and applauded speeches of recent times. During the delivery of the SM Awards for Children's and Young Adult Literature El Barco de Vapor and Gran Angular, the queen starred in a speech full of cultural references, reflections on reading and an unexpected dramatized reading that has already gone viral on social media.

Letizia began her speech by recalling the film Susurros del corazón, to assert the importance of reading from an early age: “It's a movie from more than 30 years ago, no trace of artificial intelligence, no trace of social media”. From there, she linked several literary quotes and reflections on how reading helps develop empathy. “Not reading limits what we feel”, she recalled, quoting Nobel laureate Han Kang, before adding another idea that marked the event: “By reading we improve our ability to understand other people”.

One of the most commented moments came when the queen decided to read aloud an excerpt from The Fourth Life of Blanca Curo, a novel by Alba Quintas awarded with the Premio Gran Angular. The text warned about the dangers of social media and content that promises easy money to vulnerable teenagers. “First, an impressive chick appears… one of those that make you think you’d give anything to be like them”, read Letizia, reproducing the dialogue of a young woman obsessed with success and digital exposure in an almost acted manner.

The queen also wanted to vindicate traditional writing and unhurried reading, citing another of the awarded works and recalling a phrase attributed to Arturo Pérez-Reverte that ended up becoming the great headline of the night: “Reading solves nothing, but it takes away the pain”. A deeply literary and emotional closing with which Letizia once again demonstrated her involvement with culture and her ability to connect with issues that especially concern new generations.