Guadalajara's FIL Turns 20
By Aída Bardales -- Críticas, 12/15/2006
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| FIL © Michel Amado Carpio/FIL |
The Spanish-language world's most important and energetic book fair, Guadalajara's Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL), celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. Author events, book sales, and book acquisitions, translation, and distribution agreements came together in the Expo Guadalajara, Nov. 25–Dec. 3. The convention center was filled with more than 1600 publishing houses and over 16,700 book professionals from 39 countries—including newcomers Hungary, Russia, and South Korea. Despite political turmoil and protests in Mexico that preceded the swearing in of president-elect Felipe Calderón on December 1, over half a million locals—a record number for FIL—roamed the show floor on evenings and weekends throughout the nine days of the show.
Over 630 U.S. publishing professionals—authors, translators, agents, publishers—were at the fair this year. Grupo Nelson—Thomas Nelson's Spanish-language publishing group—present for the second time, had a booth for the first time. "Finding ourselves amongst all the movers and shakers there on the same floor was tremendous…from key booksellers in Mexico and Latin America, to the consumers….We [were] well-received," said v-p and publisher Larry Downs. "We see [FIL] as our number one trade show moving forward." Thomas Nelson president and CEO Michael Hyatt, who was at FIL for the first time this year, said he was very impressed by the size of the fair and the number of visitors. "It seems there is a lot more enthusiasm for books in Latin America than in the United States," Hyatt told Críticas. "In the U.S. we take [books] for granted and are more excited about other forms of media." Hyatt also said that his experience at FIL "makes me more resolute about the importance of the Spanish-language market."
The Association of American University Presses (AAUP) had a stand at FIL for the first time as well; the booth was home to and jointly supported by the University of California Press, University of Chicago Press, University of Minnesota Press, Temple University Press, and University of Texas Press. "Our regular attendance over the past three years means increased recognition…among the important community of publishers and scholars that come to FIL," said Brennan McLaughlin, AAUP communications director. "The chance to meet and talk to representatives of university presses and university press associations from Latin America and Spain was particularly valuable."
Rights on the market
Terry Nathan, director of the Publisher's Market Association (PMA), also attending his first FIL this year noted that he "was pleasantly surprised at the size of the Spanish-language market, and the size and quality of the show." He added that it was obvious to him that it was a great fair for those working with Spanish-language books, but that he was unsure of whether it is a good place to sell rights. "[PMA] went to the fair hoping to sell [translation] rights," he told Críticas. "I am still assessing [our participation] next year." This was PMA's second visit in ten years. McLaughlin, on the other hand, explained that AAUP members and Latin American and Spanish university presses share considerable interest in "developing wide exchanges of information about what is being published by scholars in each other's countries." There is, he noted, a "potential for rights sales or co-publishing arrangements in both directions."
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| The Public © Pedro Andrés/FIL |
"Unlike Frankfurt—where foreign publishers [go] to English-language publishers to purchase rights—in Guadalajara, rights agents have to contact the Spanish-language publishers for appointments beforehand," explained David Unger, FIL's representative in the United States. "This involves research and preparation so that rights agents can know in advance [which publishers] might be interested in buying [Spanish-language] rights [and for which] titles." This year's Rights Center featured 50 tables—some 20 percent bigger than last year—and a total of 106 registered literary agents and rights personnel. U.S. publishers included Penguin, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster. Atria Books Executive VP and Publisher Judith Curr found her first FIL "very invigorating" and said she had already received a submission from a published Mexican author she met at the fair. "We're serious about Atria Español and our Latino program," said Curr, adding that she felt that more and more [U.S. professionals] should attend. "The world isn't only English-speaking."
The librarian scene
Librarians also headed south this year, 229 of them. At a gala dinner on Sunday night—sponsored by American Library Association (ALA), FIL, Baker & Taylor, Brodart, Editorial Océano de México, Fondo de Cultura Económica USA, Lectorum Publications, Panamericana Publishing, Puvill Libros, Santillana USA, Urano USA, and Críticas—Adalín Torres-Zayas, principal librarian for technical services, Inglewood PL, and Elissa Miller, collection development librarian, Arlington Public Library, VA, were presented with a commemorative book celebrating FIL's 20th anniversary. Torres-Zayas and Miller have been attending the fair since its very beginning. "We are the veterans for public librarian attendance," Miller told Críticas. "So much of attending FIL year after year is to see friends and colleagues, meet new people, and nurture the ongoing interest and excitement of Spanish-language literature…and of course, the development of vibrant library collections." Miller also said that the recognition she and Torres-Zayas received in the company of librarians, publishers, and distributors "was wonderful."
"There are so many countries represented at the fair that are not [always accessible] in the United States," said Daniel Berdaner, assistant manager, Arcadia Park Branch, Dallas PL. "[Publishers] bring new materials from new authors that [could] take a while to make it to the United States," he said. Berdaner spent $19,000 on books and DVDs for the adult collection for all 25 branches of the city; two other librarians also went to FIL to buy materials for children's and YA collections.
Since 1998, FIL has partnered with ALA to sponsor U.S. librarians through the "Free Pass" program, which provides free registration, accommodations for three nights, and $100 toward airfare. "Under the previous agreement, ALA provided $100 stipends for up to 200 librarians," explained Michael Dowling, director of the Chapter Relations Office and International Relations Office of ALA, "[That] was before the recession of '03." ALA now provides $100 in stipends for only 150 ALA members. This year, ALA and FIL covered most of the expenses for 215 ALA member librarians.
Authors around every corner
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| Author panel L to R: Carlos Loret de Mola (moderator), Elena Poniatowska, José Saramago, Tomás Eloy Martínez, & Nadine Gordimer © Michel Amado Carpio/FIL |
Three Nobel laureates presided over Saturday's opening ceremony: Gabriel García Márquez, Nadine Gordimer, and José Saramago. Saramago also took part in a reading—along with Mexican actor Gael García Bernal—of his novel Las intermitencias de la muerte ("Death's Intermissions") at the Teatro Diana. The fundraising event benefited children with cancer at the Hospital Civil de Guadalajara. It was also possible to glimpse a prince at the fair, as Spain's Prince of Asturias was there on Wednesday to tour the convention center and meet with Spanish publishers. Spain's autonomous region of Andalucía, this year's special guest, held 350 activities throughout the duration of the fair.
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| Inárritu & Fuentes Mexican film director Alejandro González Iñárritu & Carlos Fuentes at a conference. © Joaquín Rúa/FIL |
It's all about the books
Of course, FIL is also the place where those working with Spanish-language books in the United States can get a preview of upcoming titles from abroad. Promising fiction to keep an eye out for in 2007 include Spanish-language translations of Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City (Planeta) and Kim Edward's The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Santillana). Also on the radar is Fernando Vallejo's La puta de Babilonia ("The Whore of Babylonia") and Laura Restrepo's next novel, which has no title yet, both from Santillana, as well as Federico Andahazi's El conquistador ("The Conqueror"), this year's Premio Planeta Argentina.
Uruguayan Claudia Amengual received this year's Premio Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz for Desde las cenizas ("From the Ashes"; Alfaguara, 2005). "[My] commitment to writing is reinforced with this prize," said Amengual. "One must keep writing to truly deserve it." Ignacio Díaz Ruiz, professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and a judge, said Amengual's work was "reminiscent of [Juan Carlos] Onetti and [Mario] Benedetti," two prominent Uruguayan writers. The prize consists of $10,000 as well as an English-language translation by Curbstone Press if the author and the press are in agreement. Alexander Taylor, co-director of Curbstone Press, told Críticas that their "editorial board will be taking a close look at the novel in the next few months" at which point a decision will be made.
Also awarded during the FIL was the distinguished Premio de Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe Juan Rulfo—this year called Premio FIL de Literatura. The award went to Carlos Monsiváis and comes with a $100,000 prize.
Colombia will be the Guest of Honor in 2007. The Latin American country has one of the strongest markets for books in Spanish; its capital city, Bogota, was named 2007 World Capital of the Book by UNESCO. Colombia also served as FIL's first Guest of Honor in 1993. 2007 also marks the 40th anniversary of García Márquez's Cien años de soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude) and the 25th anniversary of the author's Nobel Prize.
FIL will take place again from November 24–December 2, 2007. To register or for more information, visit www.fil.com.mx/default.asp.
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