Guadalajara, Jal., The sun on Sunday fell strongly on this capital and still hundreds and hundreds of students, children and families headed early to the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL).
From the entrance the magnitude of the public was evident: lines to take photos in front of the letters FIL, voices that mixed in an atmosphere of expectation and a continuous movement that announced an intense day for exhibitors and visitors.
At 11 a.m., the influx was already filling the hallways that led to the modules of the Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE), Publicaciones de la Casa Chata, El Barco de Papel with its offer of three books for 500 pesos and one for 200, EMXI Lecturas, Planeta, Almadía and other labels that are part of the 2,800 participants in this edition.
The day began with ice cream and cold drinks to cope with the wind chill that continued to rise, while the empty bags were prepared for the weekend shopping.
Among this constant flow, Carlos, a regular reader of the fair, appeared. He carefully scanned each shelf and explained: “I come back every year because I am interested in the presentations and talks. I studied to be a pharmacobiologist chemist, I have lived in Guadalajara for a long time and the discussions of scientific dissemination and philosophy are what I enjoy the most.
“The prices are usually higher than in other bookstores, although sometimes there are promotions. It depends a lot on the publisher; for example, the FCE keeps costs reasonable. Even so, the FIL offers more than just shopping: you can listen to the authors, learn about new topics and live an experience that always invites you to return.”
In another hallway, Ana Teresa Guzmán was leafing through children’s books while she said she was looking for something for her five-year-old grandson. “He is afraid of the dark and the monsters he imagines,” he said. Her fear, she says, intensified after the loss of her father.
For Guzmán, reading “is a tool that can help you understand what you feel.” She chose a book about fear and another about death, certain that reading and talking to him will open a way to name what worries him.
“I encourage anyone in the country to visit the FIL of Guadalajara and give themselves the opportunity to enter the world of books,” he stated.
Readings for grandchildren
Up ahead was an elderly couple. He walked slowly with several copies under his arm and wrote on his cell phone with such concentration that some visitors stopped to watch him.
The message he wrote revealed the reason for his visit: he bought Around the world in 80 days, for Zaid, his grandson who is in first grade; another copy, for Amelami, a baby whom he wants to lull with Sleep, little black man, song he used to sing to his daughters. The couple continued their journey commenting that books for their grandchildren were their best investment.
On one side of the youth area appeared Iván, 19 years old, recently accepted into the University of Guadalajara. He enthusiastically showed the introductory manual of legal theory that he got for less than 200 pesos.
“I arrived with a low budget and still managed to find a useful title for my next stage. I was surprised by the magnitude of the fair and I plan to return during the week to do my tour calmly,” he indicated.
The reading dynamics did not stop during the course of the afternoon. In the Penguin Random House module, a narrator gathered a group of children to lead them into the universe of The little prince
A few steps away, two brothers less than seven years old were joking in front of covers like Requests, farts and super farts. He insisted that this book was perfect for her and the girl responded by pointing to I have peed, by Marta Biel, which caused laughter among the parents who witnessed the scene.
On a tour he took The Day Other curious situations were observed. One sign announced “Books for love, gossip and reflection,” and another said “Smell me when it’s yours,” which aroused the curiosity of passersby.
The Winbook publishing house exhibited classic literature at 70 pesos, comics at 100, children’s books at 50 and coloring copies at 80. Representatives of several publishing houses pointed out that, for it being only the second day of FIL activities, “sales and attendance bode well.”
One of the managers of a pavilion commented that “children look for fantasy, young people look for novels according to their age and adults already have very defined interests.” It stood out as a novelty The other Nobel, by Kim Manresa, a volume that shows the daily life of contemporary writers.
“In the end it is not necessary to spend a lot of money to get a book; the important thing is the situations that surround it: the shared smiles, the company, the chatting and the curiosity that reading awakens,” he concluded.
As the day progressed, the dominant postcards were those of families sharing recommendations, groups of students exchanging points of view, children posing with their first books and adults showing off their literary discoveries to their friends.
The FIL will continue at Expo Guadalajara today, tomorrow and Wednesday, from 4 to 9 p.m., and from December 4 to 7 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with extended hours until 11 p.m. on the 5th.