|
16TH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR
A cultural whirlwind
• Argentina, the country
featured as guest of honor, has designed an
extensive program of literature, music, film and
theater • Also present, 82 exhibitors from 28
countries • Eminent intellectuals invited including
Nobel Prizewinner Wole Soyinka • On sale, 8.5
million copies of Cuban books in 40 cities •
Galicia, guest of honor in 2008
BY MIREYA CASTAÑEDA —Granma International
staff writer—
IT’S
not just by chance that Argentina is guest of honor
at this year’s Fair, commented poet César López,
National Literature Prize winner, to whom – together
with historian Eduardo Torres Cuevas – this year’s
book fiesta is also dedicated.
“Argentine culture in general, and particularly its
literature and world of publishing, has always had a
very close relationship with Cuba,” he recalled,
adding that at 10 years of age, in his native
Santiago de Cuba, he read Don Quijote for the
first time, and the copy was from that nation.
“It
is precisely this interrelation between Argentine
and Cuban literature,” said Ambassador Darío
Alessandro, “and the decision to honor my country in
this Fair has come as a challenge for us.”
“In
order to prepare the program, beyond the role that
culture plays in bringing together, understanding
and comprehension between peoples, we had to take
into account what the Book Fair signifies for the
Cuban public, and what transforms it into a popular
fiesta.”
Without doubt, the first major detail to specify is
the donation of 250,000 copies of five anthologies
edited especially for the Fair and presented by José
Nun, the Argentine culture minister, at the José
Antonio Portuondo room in the San Carlos de la
Cabaña fortress, the Havana venue for the Fair.
The
titles are Poesía argentina (Argentine
Poetry, Gelman, Storni, Urondo), Cuentos
argentinos del sigloXX (20th Century Argentine
Short Stories, Cortázar, Gorostiza¼), Literatura
infantil argentina (Argentine Children’s
Literature, María Elena Walsh¼), Historietas y
humor gráfico (Comic Strips and Graphic
HumorFontanarrosa¼) and Cancionero popular
(Popular Songbook, that includes lyrics from tangos,
folk and rock songs).
The
literary program includes master lectures,
roundtable discussions, poetry and short story
readings and, naturally, book launches, in the
majority of cases by the authors themselves.
Various writers have already arrived in Havana,
headed by David Viñas (1967 Casa Prize with his
novel Los hombres de a caballo) who is to
launch another novel, Los dueños de la tierra
(The Owners of the Earth) and will give a master
lecture entitled “Ezequiel Martínez Estrada: de
Lugones a Martí”
Another two master lectures will be given by
essayist Horacio González, director of the National
Library of Argentina (“Slow reading in four
snapshots”) and poet, fiction writer, essayist,
theorist, and journalist Noé Jitrik (“Sarmiento,
Lugones, Borges”).
Argentine intellectuals are also taking part in
several roundtable discussions, including: “Culture
in Defense of Humanity” (Viñas y Horacio Salas);
“Cuba and Argentina: the long arm of humor” (Miguel
Repiso, Rep); “How to Translate from Latin America”
(Daniel Samoilovich); “Contemporary Argentine
Narrative” (Vicente Battista, Sylvia
Iparraguirre, Federico Jeanmarie); “Women in
Literature” (Luisa Valenzuela, Cristina Mucci,
Tununa Mercado y Liliana Heer); “The Black Novel”
(Fernando López); “Rodolfo Walsh; journalist,
researcher, activist” (Miguel Bonasso, Lilia
Ferreyra) and “Modern Political Philosophy” (Atilio
Borón).
The
launch of particular works is notable: Osvaldo Bayer
—author of La Patagonia Rebelde (Rebel
Patagonia), and the script from the film of the same
name— together with Hebe de Bonafini (Ventana de
Luz, Window of Light); Enrique Arrosagaray (Rodolfo
Walsh en Cuba, Rodolfo Walsh in Cuba and
Biografía: Azucena Villaflor, Biography: Azucena
Villaflor); María Negroni (La anunciación,
The Annunciation); Graciella Aráoz (Palabra Viva,
Living Word, texts by male and female writers who
were detained and “disappeared” during the military
dictatorships); Sylvia Iparraguirre (El país del
viento y otros cuentos, The Country of Wind and
Other Stories) and Stella Calloni and Víctor Ego
Ducrot (América Latina en el Siglo XXI,
recolonización e independencia, Latin America in
the 21st century, re-colonization and independence).
Cuban publishing houses are also launching books by
Argentine writers, including ¡Qué presente
impresentable! Todo Mafalda, (Presenting the
Unpresentable! Complete Mafalda by Joaquín Lavado,
Quino (José Martí-Mondadori); Poesía escogida
de Paco Urondo (Paco Urondo, Selected Poems);
Mascaró: el cazador americano (Mascaró: the
American Hunter), Haroldo Conti; Páginas
escogidas (Selected Pages), by Jorge Luis Borges
and ¿Quién mató a Rosendo?
(Who Killed Rosendo?), Rodolfo Walsh (all published
by Casa de las Américas).
The
Tribe of the Word (previously of poetry) at the
beautiful Patio de los Laureles is the space to hear
readings, for example, by poets Jorge Boccanera,
Diana Bellesi, Samuel Bossini “Pablo Narral”,
Samoilovich, and Aráoz; from fiction writers:
Liliana Heer, Negroni and at the Children’s
Pavillion (with its new home outside La Divina
Pastora between La Cabaña and El Morro), Silvia
Schujer (1986 Casa Prize in the Children’s
Literature category for Cuentos y Chinventos),
Adela Basch y Susana Itzcovich.
With
a space of some 500 square meters, Argentine
publishers are also putting in a strong appearance,
including space dedicated to Universo, Madres de
Plaza de Mayo, Librería de Mujeres and various
provincial governments.
Argentina comes to the Havana Book Fair (HBF) 2007
with an artistic program for diverse tastes. With
respect to music, no less than a concert – for the
closing ceremony in Havana on February 18 – at the
Amadeo Roldán theater by the eminent pianist Miguel
Angel Estrella (director of the Orchestra For Peace,
made up of young Arab and Israeli musicians) and, in
the second part, the National Symphony Orchestra
under the direction of Argentine maestro Fabián
Bertero, performing tangos and accompanied by
Horacio Romo (accordion).
Young people will be content with the “Listen To Me
between Noises” concert at the Anti-Imperialist
Tribunal, a tribute to 40 years of Argentine rock –
one of the first nations to sing rock in Spanish –
with performances by legends such as Juan Carlos
Baglieto.
Enjoy the theater? You’ll once again have the
pleasure of seeing the great Argentine actress
Graciella Duffau, at the National Museum of Fine
Arts theater, in Brindis por la poesía and
La loca de amor and if your passion is the
cinema, Ciclo Argentino (Nueve Reinas, El
aura) and Tribute to Leonardo Fabio (Nazareno
Cruz y el lobo, Soñar, soñar y Gatica
“el mono”).
Other spaces, other personalities
There is no doubt about it, HBF 2007 has even more.
In this 16th edition, there are 82 foreign
exhibitors (representing more than 500 publishers)
from 28 countries. The most well-represented being
Spain (Aurelia Ediciones S.A, DM-Libros, Océano),
Mexico (Ediciones B, Díaz de Santos, Margo, Urano,
Plaza y Valdés) and Germany (Agon, Arena, Belser,
Carina, Atlantik, Die Werkstatt, Dosee, Hofmann).
But
the Fair is also consolidated as a meeting space for
authors and editors from the Third World – who are
always absent from the so-called big markets – and
so we see here publishers from Bolivia, Colombia,
Ecuador, Egypt, Peru, Puerto Rico, Syria, Nigeria
and Venezuela.
Cuba, for its part, has a representation of 53
publishers, and Iroel Sánchez, president of the
Cuban Book Institute, announced that among the
newest titles, books in stock, second-hand and rare
books (a new attraction for this year’s Fair) are on
sale in Cuban pesos and, throughout 40 cities, 8.5
million copies will be on sale.
In
this mixed bag fiesta, there are launches of new
titles, the presentation of national prizes,
meetings between editors, historians, children’s
writers, and a very interesting Literary Forum
organized by the Union of Cuban Artists’ and Writers
(UNEAC) to celebrate and reflect on poetry and
contemporary Cuban fiction on the 60th anniversary
of the publication of El son entero (The
Entire Son) by Nicolás Guillén, and the 40th
of Paradiso (Paradise) by José Lezama Lima.
One
of the most distinctive aspects of the Cuban fair is
the exchange between readers and authors, both
national and foreign guests.
This
year Havana has the pleasure to receive Nigerian
Wole Soyinka, Nobel Literature Prizewinner;
Pakistani Tariq Alí (who will launch his book The
Clash of Fundamentalisms (Editorial Ciencias
Sociales); and Mexican writer Elena Poniatowska, who
is attending the launch of Tinísima (Ediciones
Casa de las Américas).
Although the official announcement has not yet been
made (due to take place at the Sala José Antonio
Portuondo on Friday 16, 5.30 p.m.), we know that
Galicia will be the guest of honor for the 2008
Havana Book Fair.
Perhaps as an example of what is to come next
February, this year 34 publishing houses are
represented under the Xunta de Galicia-Asociación
Gallega de Editores umbrella group.
The
HBF 2007 comes to an end on February 18, but it is
no metaphor to say that the Fair is like a
whirlwind.
|
