The Feria Internacional de Libros (FIL), is the second largest book fair in the world, just slightly behind the Frankfurter Buchmesse, in size and scale. November, 2023 marked the 36th FIL, and this year, the European Union was the honored invitee so in addition to authors and publishers from Mexico, and central and South America there were literary guests from Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, Ireland, Poland and Sweden as well as authors
Held annually in late November in Guadalajara, Jalisco, the Feria is a forum for authors, illustrators, publishers, agents, editors, and of course the public who come out to buy tens of thousands of books. The first five days of the Feria are reserved for professionals, so as a librarian, I qualified to attend talks and panels, and browse the book seller’s stalls before the public entered. It was a time of great comradery and recognition, as we “professionals” sat together in the salons to listen to a variety of presentations by academics, authors, editors, and publishers. I attended a workshop given by Carlos Armenta of Impronta Editorial, on the letterpress, a somewhat antiquated form of printing using movable lead type, which is being revived for small press runs, like poetry chapbooks.
I also attended several talks by Chilean authors who through collective memory are attempting to come to terms with the details of the September 11, 1973 military takeover of the Democratic government of Salvador Allende. The 50th anniversary recently passed, (September 11, 2023) and many fiction and non-fiction books related to the golpe or coup were presented. One of the most interesting, yet disturbing take-ways from the conference was the importance of children’s literature to a country’s culture and collective identity. According to author and academic Vivian Levin, the seventeen years during the Pinochet dictatorship was time devoid of independently published children’s books. In essence this created a huge cultural void for children, who use age-appropriate literature to process family, social and historical events, and did not have books to help them through those difficult times.
January 1, 1994, is an important date for Mexico, as January 1, 2024, will mark the 30th anniversary of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN)’s 12-day uprising in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. I attended a panel moderated by author Juan Villoro, who presented a magazine, published by the UNAM, dedicated to the anniversary of the EZLN movement, which includes academic essays, and speeches and writings by Subcomandante Marcos and Comandanta Ramona. There will be a copy of this magazine-style book in the library.
Attending the FIL, was an incredible experience from the exposure to a variety of Latin American authors’ presenting their books, and the freedom to browse book stalls from various countries, universities and independent publishers. I plan to attend next year, but hope to gather a group of people to represent Todos Santos, and Baja California Sur, and I would love to share this incredible cultural experience with others.
