Heavyweight authors and the most promising literary talents from all over Latin America will appear before 600,000 reading enthusiasts at Guadalajara’s 25th International Book Fair (FIL) in late November.
Germany, this year’s guest of honor, will also be offering a select sample of its literature and culture in the Guadalajara Expo and various other venues around the city, during the literature festival that takes place from November 26 to December 4.
The FIL – organized from year one by the Universidad de Guadalajara (UdG) – will be celebrating its first 25 years with a broad program of activities, including cultural performances, academic meetings and other events encouraging children to read.
“The emphasis is primarily on literary and cultural activity. I think that gives a personality to the FIL,” said Peruvian Nobel literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, who will take part in a debate with German Nobel Prize winner Herta Müller.
Other literary giants such as Carlos Fuentes will be on hand during the fair, which will include the award of the 25 Best Kept Secrets in Latin America and the presentation of the FIL Literary Award in Romantic Languages to Colombian-Mexican author Fernando Vallejo.
As guest of honor, Germany will offer book presentations, meetings with its top authors and academics, exhibitions in different museums around the city, musical performances, and a German cinema program at the UdG’s Cineforo.
Also present will be British writer Anthony Browne, the author and illustrator of the famous “Willy the Wimp” series as well as the books “Gorilla” and “Voices in the Park.” Browne will lead workshops for teachers, illustrators and readers, participate in a book signing and take part in a meeting with thousands of kids.
“In Guadalajara the International Book Fair becomes a point of hope, where there is a genuine encounter between people who love books and the books they love,” said famed Tapatio film director Guillermo del Toro, who regularly appears at the FIL.
In the academic realm, with the aid of the UdG, the FIL has summoned today’s top thinkers to take part in meetings on communication and society, educational research, human rights, democratic culture, gender, nature, foreign and indigenous languages, sports and philosophy.
In the words of UdG Rector Marco Antonio Cortés Guardado, in 25 years of FIL activities, “our researchers and academics have come together with their peers from other countries to reflect on the world of today, its problems and possible solutions.”
Alongside the literary and cultural program, over 18,000 book professionals will attend the fair to buy or sell author rights and discuss the future of books and the reach of electronic books. The fair will draw 1,900 publishers from 42 countries, offering their publications to over 600,000 visitors.
Over its past 24 editions, totaling 216 days of activities, the FIL has transformed Guadalajara into Mexico’s literary capital, welcoming over eight million visitors and generating a 330-million-dollar turnover for the city.