"There are always more reasons for closing a cultural publication than for striving to keep it alive," wrote director and founder of lateral Mihály Dés in his column for the final issue, 133 (1/2006). Although the journal is no longer producing new issues, their archive from 2001 to 2006 will remain in Eurozine.

lateral was a monthly focusing on cultural and social phenomena. It reviewed the latest books from around the world, with a special interest in Hispanic literature. It offered debates, interviews, biographies, literary criticism, poetry, and short stories, and also covered a great variety of other fields, such as politics, history, science, arts, and music.

lateral was first published in 1994 and became a leading voice in Spain's cultural panorama. Its web site is a highly visited space of intellectual dialogue in Spain with visitors from around the world, as lateral is not only read in Spain but also in the rest of Europe and Latin America. A full archive of all lateral issues remains available at www.lateral-ed.es.