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The UK will be guest of honour at the Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL) Guadalajara, the largest book festival in the Spanish-speaking world, the British Council announced today (9th September).
A delegation of editors, writers and artists will represent British culture and literature at the book fair, which will take place from 28th November until 6th December 2015. It will follow on from Mexico as Market Focus at the 2015 London Book Fair and come as part of UK/Mexico 2015, a major season of artistic exchange between the two countries designed to strengthen the bilateral relationship.
Cortina Butler, director literature, British Council said: “2015, culminating in the UK Guest of Honour appearance at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, will provide an exceptional opportunity for cultural exchange between Mexico and the UK.”
She added: “The Fair is a magnificent platform for us to share the best of UK literature with the people of Mexico as well as showcasing British music, performing and visual arts. I am delighted that British writers and artists will have this unique opportunity to engage with their counterparts in Mexico and reach new international audiences.”
The agreement was signed by Lena Milosevic, director Mexico, British Council and Raul Padilla Lopez, president of the FIL Guadalajara, in the presence of Duncan Taylor, British Ambassador to Mexico.
FIL Guadalajara is also a major rights fair and provides a key opportunity for international publishers to engage with the Spanish speaking publishing industry. The UK Publishers Association will be coordinating the delegation of UK publishers and agents from the trade and academic publishing sectors.
Richard Mollet, chief executive, The Publishers Association said it was “delighted” with the move. He continued: “Mexico is a priority market for UK publishers with the increased focus on education, English Language Learning and rights trading, and the Guadalajara book fair is an important gateway to the Latin American market. It will provide an excellent opportunity to increase our understanding of each other’s publishing markets while showcasing the great products available from UK publishers.”
FIL Guadalajara takes place over nine days and caters to both book professionals and the general public, with more than 1,900 publishing houses from 43 different countries participating alongside nearly 700 authors and 800,000 visitors. Previous British authors to appear at the event have included Martin Amis, William Golding, Patrick McGrath and Adam Thirlwell.