Catalan letters in Mexico: Barcelona illuminates FIL Guadalajara
Bonart will participate alongside ARCE in the second most important event in the literary world.
The Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) is the most important literary event in the Spanish-speaking world and has become the second largest worldwide, behind the Frankfurt Book Fair. From November 29 to December 7, it will become a literary epicenter with Barcelona present through a powerful cultural program, in addition to the participation of Bpnart alongside the Association of Cultural Magazines of Spain (ARCE).
Bonart will participate in the 39th edition of the Guadalajara International Book Fair.
Barcelona will serve as guest of honor in this new edition and will do so with the participation of 60 authors in an extensive literary program, added to the wide range of music, visual and performing arts and gastronomy.
FIL brings together more than 2,000 publishers from more than fifty countries, receiving an influx of almost a million visitors in recent years. Among its objectives, the Guadalajara International Book Fair is a commercial platform for literary agents, publishers, distributors and writers, in addition to embracing the world of books to a wide audience.
In 2024, Spain was the guest of honor, with the city of Barcelona taking over as the cultural benchmark. This edition, the 39th, coincides with the tenth anniversary of Barcelona's recognition as a Literary City by UNESCO. Jaume Collboni mentioned all the links between the Catalan city and Mexico and, specifically, Guadalajara. The mayor highlighted the importance of Barcelona's participation, as "it is a fair where it is not usually the cities that are invited, but the countries or continents".
The Barcelona pavilion will be located in the main lobby of the fairgrounds in a space created for conversation, dialogue and reading with 1,183 square meters. It will have a bookstore and its own auditorium for 120 people, where part of the literary and professional program will take place, in addition to participating in prominent spaces of the Fair such as the FIL Science and Thought with proposals coordinated by the Department of Science and Universities of the Barcelona City Council and the CCCB.
A total of 69 authors will travel to Mexico with the Barcelona delegation, with Eduardo Mendoza and Joan Manuel Serrat as ambassadors, along with names such as Javier Cercas, Marta Orriols and Anna Pazos, among others.
As for exhibitions, created for the occasion, it will land with Els llibres de Barcelona , which will trace the footprint that design leaves on the character of the books, collections and stamps in the exhibition. The second proposal will be Vindran les dones , which will offer a look at a century and a half of the presence of women writers in the city. Alongside these two exhibition montages, there will be installations by Cabosanroque with elements by Mercè Rodoreda, Joan Brossa and Àngel Guimerà, also uniting the Guadalajara Fair with digital art proposals, adding performing art proposals with Sonoma, Jo, travestí and La plaça del diamant.
