Guadalajara International Book Fair

The Guadalajara International Book Fair (Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, FIL) is one of the most important book fairs in the Spanish-speaking world. Its main goal is to support and promote Mexico’s publishing industry. The event is held every year in late autumn.

The inaugural edition of the Guadalajara International Book Fair was held in 1987. Since then, it has become one of the largest and most prestigious events of its kind in the world. Every year, dozen of authors and translators, hundreds of publishing industry professionals and thousands of book lovers come to Guadalajara where numerous exhibitors present their latest projects. For the reading public, this is the perfect opportunity to meet their favorite authors and pick up some new books, while industry professionals appreciate the fair’s networking opportunities.

The program of the FIL features a plethora of cultural events and activities aimed to promote reading and introduce the reading public to the best specimen of contemporary literature. They include presentations of new books and Spanish translations, Q&A sessions and book signings with famous authors, public readings, debates and roundtables, workshops and seminars, and other activities for visitors of all ages. For example, the 2005 edition of the fair featured about 2,800 cultural activities, and this number is growing every year.

Since 1993, the Guadalajara International Book Fair has invited a country or region to be the guest of honor. The main goal of this tradition is to showcase the best of the cultural and literary heritage of different countries. Previous guests of honor include Colombia, New Mexico (USA), Venezuela, Canada, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Chile, Spain, Brazil, Cuba, Quebec (Canada), Catalonia (Spain), Peru, Andalusia (Spain), Colombia, Italy, Los Angeles (USA), Castile and León (Spain), Germany, Israel, Argentina, the United Kindgom, and Latin America as a whole (to celebrate the 30th edition of the FIL).

To honor and reward the accomplishments in the field of literary publishing, the FIL awards several prizes. The oldest one is the FIL Literary Award in Romance Languages (previously known as Juan Rulfo Prize for Latin American and Caribbean Literature) founded in 1991. Other awards include the Fernando Benítez Prize and National Homage to Cultural Journalism, the Publishing Merit Award, the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize, ArpaFIL, Homage to Bibliophiles, and Homage to Librarians.