The massive Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) will mark its 40th edition from November 28 to December 6 with more than 3,000 activities, over 900 authors from 41 countries, and Italy as the guest of honor.
FIL is the largest market in the world for Spanish-language publications. Its attendance — 953,112 visitors in 2025 — dwarfs any other book event in the Western Hemisphere.
Salman Rushdie of the United Kingdom, Siri Hustvedt of the United States and Italian writer Alessandro Baricco headline a literary program that spans 18 languages and more than 60 countries. Baricco will open the Carlos Fuentes Literary Salon, while Hustvedt will participate in the Julio Cortázar Latin American Chair alongside Uruguay’s Fernanda Trías.
Italy returns as guest of honor after 18 years, bringing a delegation of 61 authors, along with more than 30 publishers and a 1,200-square-meter pavilion housing 8,200 books. The Italian presence will extend beyond literature with ten exhibitions, including a Caravaggio show at the University of Guadalajara’s Museum of Arts, concerts by Paolo Fresu and Mario Biondi, film screenings, and a gastronomic festival. The program is organized around Umberto Eco’s phrase, “The world speaks to us like a great book.”
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.