Guadalajara International Book Fair

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The Guadalajara International Book Fair, better known as the FIL (from its Spanish name: Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara) is the largest book fair in the Americas, and second-largest book fair in the world after Frankfurt's. It is also considered the most important cultural annual event of its kind in the Spanish-speaking world.[1] The purpose of the FIL is to provide an optimal business environment for the book-industry professionals and exhibitors who attend the fair, and for the reading public eager to meet authors and pick up the latest entries in the market.

Guadalajara International Book Fair
XXI Book Fair 2007
StatusActive
GenreMulti-genre
VenueExpo Guadalajara convention center
Location(s)Guadalajara, Jalisco
CountryMexico
Inaugurated1987
Attendance525,000 (2006)
Organized byUniversity of Guadalajara
Websitehttp://www.fil.com.mx/ingles/

Created in 1987, the FIL is put on by the University of Guadalajara and is held at the Expo Guadalajara convention center, which has 40,000 m2 (430,000 sq ft) of floor space. FIL is held every year, starting on the last Saturday in November and continuing for nine days, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

The current managing director of the Guadalajara International Book Fair is Marisol Schulz, and its president from its inception until his death in 2023 was Raúl Padilla López. The book fair won the Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities in 2020.[2]

Prizes and honours

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Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel García Márquez, and Pasqual Maragall awarding the Juan Rulfo Prize to Juan Goytisolo, FIL 2004

As a way of rewarding and honouring literary publishing, the FIL awards the following annual prizes and honours:

Invited countries or cultural regions

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Marisol Schulz, managing director of the Guadalajara International Book Fair
 
Interior FIL 2008
 
Popular Italian Orchestra in the esplanade of the FIL 2008

Since 1993, the FIL has invited a country or region to be the guest of honor, providing each an opportunity to display the best of its cultural and literary heritage, as listed in the following table:

Year Guest of Honor Country or Region[3]
1993  Colombia
1994   New Mexico
1995   Venezuela
1996   Canada
1997   Argentina
1998   Puerto Rico
1999   Chile
2000   Spain
2001   Brazil
2002   Cuba
2003   Quebec
2004   Catalonia
2005   Peru
2006   Andalusia
2007   Colombia
2008   Italy
2009   Los Angeles
2010   Castile and León
2011   Germany
2012   Chile
2013   Israel
2014   Argentina
2015   United Kingdom
2016   Latin America
2017   Madrid
2018   Portugal
2019   India
2021   Peru
2022   Sharjah and Arab Culture
2023   European Union

History

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Main entrance during the 2002 Guadalajara International Book Fair

2005

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  • 15,357 exhibitors from 45 countries
  • Visitor attendance at the fair was 494,388
  • 2,899 cultural activities

2006

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  • 1,307,002 visits were made to the FIL website
  • Visitor attendance was 525,000
  • 84,495 children at activities for children
  • 16,740 exhibitors
  • 1,523 journalists and 439 communications media accredited from 60 countries
  • 296 book presentations with their respective authors
  • 110 literary agents
  • 94 artistic and musical activities

2013

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  • 1,935 publishing houses from 43 countries
  • Visitor attendance at the fair was 1,000,000

2016

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2023

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  • 2,469 publishing houses from 61 countries
  • Visitor attendance was 857,315[4]

References

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  1. ^ "The Guadalajara International Book Fair 2017". SuperMemo. November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  2. ^ "Guadalajara International Book Fair wins 2020 Princess of Asturias Award". El Universal (in Spanish). 10 June 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  3. ^ FIL: A Cultural Bridge
  4. ^ "Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara".
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