Córdoba’s Cosmopoética festival began in shock after director Pablo Téllez de la Poza died in a motorcycle crash just hours before opening night. The loss has shaken the city’s cultural scene.
Hours before Cosmopoética was set to start, tragedy struck Córdoba. Pablo Téllez de la Poza, the festival’s director, died in a motorcycle accident on Avenida Agrupación. Emergency crews arrived fast. They could not save him. He was 49. The crash involved a car. Police are still investigating what happened. According to 112 Andalucía, both Policía Nacional and Policía Local responded, but Téllez de la Poza could not be revived.
Téllez de la Poza was more than a festival director. He led Verbo Servicios Culturales and shaped much of Córdoba’s cultural life. This year, his company organized Cosmopoética, a poetry festival promoted by the city since it began. His sudden death leaves a gap that goes far beyond this event. Regional media and cultural voices have called his passing a major loss for Córdoba’s creative world. He played key roles in Eutopía, the city’s book fair, and Marpoética.
The 2026 edition of Cosmopoética is dedicated to Jorge Luis Borges, marking the 40th anniversary of the writer’s death.
His work reached far outside poetry. Téllez de la Poza led the Eutopía festival, ran several editions of Córdoba’s book fair, and launched Marpoética in Marbella. He also worked with Madrid’s Matadero and partnered with the Centro de Arte Pepe Espaliú, Sala Vimcorsa, and Festival Qurtubajazz. He trained in scenography at the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático. But from early on, he was drawn to producing cultural events. That became his life’s work.
This year, Téllez de la Poza served as director gerente for Cosmopoética. David Eloy Rodríguez managed the cultural program. The festival’s theme is “Borges: 40 aniversario de su muerte.” Events will run across Córdoba until October 3. Poets and audiences will gather in a city now mourning one of its main cultural leaders. Several Spanish news outlets report that the opening at Teatro Góngora will go ahead as planned. Writer Siri Hustvedt and singer Carmen Linares will headline. The program will not change, despite the loss.
Pablo Téllez de la Poza’s death on the eve of Cosmopoética is more than a personal loss. It is a blow to Córdoba’s creative community. His mark is clear in the city’s busy cultural calendar and the institutions he helped build. The festival continues, but his absence is felt everywhere. His vision and drive will be hard to replace. Police are still looking into the cause of the crash. For now, Córdoba’s cultural life moves forward, marked by grief and respect for a leader who shaped its artistic spirit.
Cosmopoética 2026 is expected to gather more than 70 authors and host over fifty events, maintaining its status as one of Spain’s leading poetry festivals despite the recent tragedy.
