Barcelona will reinforce its literary capital status at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), the most important cultural event in Ibero-America, with the attendance of more than 700 authors from some fifty countries. The Catalan capital will be the guest of honor city in the edition to be held in 2025. This was announced this Tuesday by the general director of the FIL, Marisol Schulz, accompanied by the mayor of Barcelona Jaume Collboni; the deputy mayor for Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion and Tourism, Jordi Valls, and the councilor for Culture and Creative Industries, Xavier Marcé.
"It is the most ambitious commitment for the international dissemination of our writers and publishers that we have ever made from Barcelona. It is a tribute to pioneers like Ma Aurèlia Capmany or Carme Balcells," defends Collboni, recalling how Mexico has also been a host country for authors like Pere Calders or Agustí Bartra. The Guadalajara International Book Fair, founded by the University of Guadalajara in 1987, is much more than a literary event and the Barcelona City Council will deploy an intense agenda to open new opportunities in other areas such as creative and digital industries, scientific dissemination, gastronomy, and audiovisuals. "Barcelona wants to put all its power at the service of culture," remarks the mayor.
As guest of honor city at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the Catalan capital will lead several initiatives at the Mexican event two years from now, such as coordinating a delegation of authors, editors, translators, and agents; promoting the illustration and design sector; and disseminating scientific heritage. Likewise, the city council also plans to organize children's and youth shows, design a gastronomic festival, and promote feature films throughout the days of the cultural event.
Since 1993, the FIL has featured the presence of a guest of honor region, city, or country. This year it is the European Union's turn, while in the 2024 edition it will be Spain's turn. Catalonia was the guest in 2004. In the last edition, that of 2022, almost 807,000 people attended, with the participation of more than 14,000 book professionals and 2,000 publishers. Over nine days, three thousand activities were organized, with literary forums, book presentations, and artistic and musical interventions.