49ª Feria Internacional del Libro de Buenos Aires

Del 24 de abril al 12 de mayo de 2025

www.el-libro.org.ar

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Cities Guest Of Honor

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The invitation is designed to provide the Fair with special, rich and distinctive cultural content, starting or strengthening business relations between the book industries of the host and guest city.
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Amsterdam (2013) opened its “Café Amsterdam”, in the style of a typical Amsterdam pub, and facilitated the presence of 30 cultural personalities, including writers, publishers, illustrators, critics and historians. It developed or participated in at least three daily activities. It publicized two special editions of contemporary literature for Argentine readers and hosted two exhibits, one devoted to books with the best design, and another one for cartoonists. It produced a news tabloid for the dissemination of the Netherlands culture and tourism that was distributed with the newspaper that has the widest readership in Argentina.

Sao Paulo (2014) also designed its stand with a customized personality and brought to Argentina approximately 40 artists including writers, illustrators, musicians, publishers and translators. It organized Brazilian film screenings in two theaters of the city. It particularly promoted activities with young Sao Paulo artists from the urban movement called “sarao”. It used conference rooms and its own stand to host poetry and music activities. It produced a magazine to disseminate its presence at the Fair and publicize the culture of Sao Paulo that was distributed with the newspaper that has the widest readership in Argentina.

Mexico DF (2015) designed a much praised stand, in which, as in previous cases, typical food and drinks were served, and it brought more than 70 personalities, including writers, illustrators, publishers, booksellers, musicians, educators and journalists. It held book presentations, roundtable discussions, conferences and reading sessions in conference rooms and in its stand, and enabled the participation of its writers in forums and festivals organized by the Fair. As in previous cases, its representatives were present at the Professional Sessions and educational seminars. It produced a tabloid including its program of activities disseminating the city’s culture, for distribution at the Fair.

Santiago de Compostela (2016) erected a 200 square-meter stand with a small auditorium. It brought 30 authors including writers, academics, scientist and illustrators, as well as publishers, who took part in the Professional Sessions. It printed a tabloid program with more than 80 activities. It brought authors to the International Poetry Festival, the Science Education Forum, and the Borges International Meeting. The President of the Xunta and the City Mayor attended the opening ceremony. In addition to its activities on the premises, the city organized an off-premise program with exhibits, school visits and a Galicia film festival in Gaumont Theater.

Los Angeles (2017) had a stand of 200 square meters, with its own auditorium. They contributed 12 authors (writers and scriptwriters, a poet to the Festival of Poetry, an storyteller to the International Meeting of Oral Narration), two musical groups for the Night of the Fair and about 20 librarians. The latter participate in the Professional Days and in the Fair, and collaborate in the attention of the stand too. The Embassy of the United States organized the Day of the Universities, where 70 North American universities are located, small jobs, in another place, to explain about scholarships and careers. Two of the writers took place with film students.

Montevideo (2018). The stand was located in the Yellow Pavilion, showed the cultural diversity of Uruguay with book launches, discussion tables, musical guests, photography and the best of its literary catalog. The program was divided into three central themes: «Montevidean Poetry «, «Contemporary Perspectives» and an homage to the writer Mario Levrero. The stand of 200 square meters and the shape of the  montevidean «Rambla», there was an auditorium and a bookstore that was coordinated by the Book Chamber of Uruguay. Different publishing houses in Montevideo were represented, which included editors of all sizes, including independent companies and newly formed ventures.

Barcelona (2019) offered a varied program with 120 cultural events and built a stand of 200 square meters in the yellow pavilion, with its own auditorium and a bookstore, the latter with significant sales. It brought more than 70 Spanish authors: Carlos Zanón (author of a detective novel, winner of the Hammett Prize in 2015),  Carlos Cuevas and Héctor Lozano (actor and creator of the Merlí series), Jordi Sierra i Fabra (prolific youth author), Horacio Altuna (argentine Illustrator in Barcelona since 1980), Paula Bonet (author and illustrator of great success) were some of them. In addition, on the Night of the Fair, presented the live show of the Catalan artist Silvia Pérez Cruz. Among exhibited in two sectors of the fair samples of illustrators and a history of the book in Catalan. Distributed to the public an important program in book format. He did two cultural activities outside the Fair. He made a previous launch in the city of Barcelona for the local and international press.