The 38th Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), the largest literary event in the Spanish-speaking world, is once again expecting an attendance around 800,000 during its run from Saturday, Nov. 30, through Sunday, Dec. 8.
Held at the sprawling Expo Guadalajara convention center, the fair will feature nine days of literature, art and cultural exchange, featuring 850 writers from 43 countries speaking 19 languages. Two of the writers scheduled to appear are Nobel Prize winners and one is a Pulitzer Prize winner.
This year’s theme, “Camino de ida y vuelta” (“Round trip”), will include welcoming Spain as the guest of honor for the first time in 24 years. Spain’s presence will include its largest-ever delegation, comprising 229 writers, artists and professionals. Last year’s guest was the European Union.
Notable Spanish figures set to attend include Irene Vallejo, Fernando Aramburu, María Dueñas and Rosa Montero — all of them award-winning writers.
Aramburu and Montero will have the honor of kicking off the talks and panels at the Carlos Fuentes Literary Hall, a prestigious FIL space dedicated to celebrating literary excellence and fostering discussions with renowned writers. It is named after iconic Mexican novelist and essayist Carlos Fuentes.
Other highlights will include appearances by Tanzanian-born British Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, who will deliver a keynote address and present his novel “The Deserter,” and Nobel Prize-winning chemist Morten Peter Meldal of Denmark, who will discuss “From the Molecule to Medicine.”
Mia Couto, recipient of this year’s FIL Prize for Literature in Romance Languages, will also give a talk during the opening ceremony. Born in Mozambican, Couto is considered one of the most important figures in Portuguese literature.
Mexican author Cristina Rivera Garza is also scheduled to appear. She won a 2024 Pulitzer Prize for her “Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice,” a nonfiction, genre-bending account of her sister’s 1990 murder at the hands of an abusive ex-boyfriend.
FIL’s programming features over 3,000 activities, including exhibitions, workshops and live performances.
Events like the Festival of European Letters, Latinoamérica Viva, and the International Caricature and Comics Meeting will explore diverse literary and artistic voices. Panels will cover a range of topics, from LGBTQ+ literature to artificial intelligence in science.
Awards are also a substantial part of FIL’s identity. Eight FIL awards and four awards in collaboration with other literary entities will be presented.
Already announced in October, the festival’s most prestigious award, the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize, will go to Argentine novelist Gabriela Cabezón Cámara for her 2023 novel “Las niñas del naranjel” (“The Girls from the Orange Grove”). Not yet available in an English translation, the historical and adventurous bildungsroman explores themes of colonialism, identity and the blending of cultures.
Spain’s pavilion will showcase sustainability and diversity, with 15,000 books and cultural exhibits.
Beyond literature, the FIL Forum will present flamenco and electronic music performances, exhibitions such as “Foodscapes” and a film series that includes big-screen adaptations of iconic works.
The FIL website offers a wealth of information in English, but the online site to buy tickets is in Spanish only. The fair will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
With reports from Infobae, Reforma and El Occidental
