The 2008 Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (Guadalajara International Book Fair, or FIL), the most important event for the world’s Spanish-language book market, will take place November 29–December 7. This year also marks the inauguration of recently expanded exhibition halls. The changes serve to better accommodate the estimated 500,000 fairgoers and to offer more exposure to the booths for publishers from over 40 countries.

As always, FIL will offer a variety of activities for the expected 215 American Library Association (ALA) members who have registered for the “Free Pass” slots provided by FIL and ALA, which together sponsor most of the visitors’ expenses. ALA president James Rettig and president-elect Camila Alire (the organization’s first Latino/a president) also will attend the fair. On Sunday, November 30, ALA members are invited to attend the now traditional free gala dinner, hosted by a group of Spanish-language publishers, book distributors, and Críticas, at 8 p.m. at The Tequila.

Also on that day, South Korean Hwang Seok-yeong, author of the internationally acclaimed The Guest, will open the Salón Literario, a series of author symposiums. After illegally visiting North Korea, Hwang was arrested and detained by the South Korean government for five years; he was released upon presidential pardon. Closing the Salón Literario will be Argentine poet Juan Gelman, author of more than 20 volumes of poetry and winner of the Premio Cervantes in 2007.

The Salón del Libro, now in its eighth year, will feature books focusing on ecology and the environment, with approximately 5000 relevant titles from more than 400 participating publishers, all selected by experts on library acquisitions. The titles will also be posted in an online catalog available throughout the year; the books at the Salón itself will later be donated to a non-profit organization that promotes literature.

The V Foro Internacional de Editores y Profesionales del Libro (International Forum of Editors and Book Professionals), on December 1–2, will focus on children’s publishing. Participants include Mexico’s Daniel Goldin, author and editor, Océano Travesía; Brazil’s Ana María Machado, author and recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen medal for children’s books (2000); and Canada’s Patsy Aldana, president of International Board on Books for Young People and editorial director of Groundwood Books. Panel discussions will touch on several topics, including how to create a successful children’s catalog and effectively market children’s titles. Events will take place at the Hilton Hotel.

A special tribute to literary great Carlos Fuentes, perennial Nobel Prize contender, will take place November 29–December 1 in honor of his 80th birthday. In a series of activities and panels, participants will discuss Fuentes’s oeuvre, including a special event celebrating the 50th anniversary of La region más transparente (Where the Air is Clear), Fuentes’s first and most controversial novel.

Portuguese writer António Lobo Antunes will receive the Premio FIL de Literatura en Lengua Romances (formerly Premio FIL de Literatura) on November 29. On December 3, this year’s recipient of the Premio Sor Juana, awarded to Latin American women writers, will be announced. On Monday, December 1, the Aura Estrada Prize will be formally announced at a press conference. Estrada is the late wife of Guatemalan-American author Francisco Goldman. The prize will go to a Latina or Mexican woman author.

Italy is the guest of honor this year; 75 Italian authors and various intellectuals and celebrities will participate in cultural and literary events throughout the fair.

For updated information on FIL’s programs and special events, visit www.fil.com.mx/.