The 31st International Book Fair (“Havana Book Fair“, FILH) came to an end. The ten-day event is considered one of the most important literary events in Latin America and, as always, took place this year on the site of the historic port fortress of the Cuban capital, “San Carlos de la Cabaña”.
This year, 411 exhibitors from 54 countries took part, 19 more than at the first post-corona edition, FILH 2022. The guest country was Colombia, from which more than 20 writers had traveled.
In her opening speech at the fair, Colombia’s new Vice President, Francia Márquez, emphasized the potential of both countries for regional integration and acknowledged Cuba’s commitment as a mediator in her country’s peace process. “The cultural ties between our two countries are an asset that needs to be strengthened and the Havana Book Fair is an excellent opportunity for this,” said Márquez.
Around 400 new domestic and international publications were presented at the fair and the two most important Cuban literary prizes, the Alejandro Carpentier Prize and the Nicolás Guillén Prize, were awarded. This year, the work “The Bus of Babel” by author Carlos Esquivel received an award in the poetry category. This is about “connoted compositional dramaturgy in which the lyrical subject enters into a dialogue with historical personalities such as Trotsky, Stalin, Breton, Reinaldo Arenas, Wittgenstein, Diderot and others through a philosophical perspective that questions reality,” according to the justification of the Jury.
The Spanish journalist and media scientist Ignacio Ramonet presented his new book “The Era of Conspiracy Stories. Trump, the Cult of Lies and the Capitol Attack”.
The island’s social science publishers also renewed their offerings. Numerous readings, concerts, film screenings and art exhibitions took place parallel to the events in the “Cabaña” in the city’s libraries and other cultural venues. Under the title “Technologies for telling stories”, the Havana city historian’s office organized an exhibition on ongoing digitization projects and new methods of conveying history. Visitors were able to access some historical works that had already been prepared using a QR code.
This year the Book Fair counted 400,000 visitors from Cuba and the world, slightly more than before the pandemic. “The large number of young people” was “one of the highlights of this year’s edition,” reports the Cuban portal Juventud Rebelde.
More than 700,000 books changed hands. As usual, a part of the offer will be sold at subsidized prices, with which the organizers want to underline the audience-related and non-commercial character of the fair. After the end of the event in Havana, until March 19th, the publishers’ stands will move from west to east through all provinces, where readings and sales will take place on a smaller scale. (America21)