Since 1988, the Bogota Book Fair has been among the most significant cultural events in the Latin American calendar, and 2013 promises to be no exception. The fair takes place from April 18 to May 1 and, for the first time in the festival’s history, will play host to a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, France’s Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio.
Other internationally acclaimed authors attending the fair include Cees Noteboom, Juan José Millas, Luiz Ruffato, Fernando Sabater, John Katzenbach, Wolf Dorn, Lila Azam Zanganeh, Sebastiá Jovani and Valerie Miles as well as leading investigative journalist Guner Wallraff.
Each year the fair places a special emphasis on the literature of a nominated country and, in 2013, the honor will go to Portugal. An entire pavillion will be devoted to highlighting the best literary works the country has to offer, while also providing an insight into Portuguese culture.
The renowned festival functions as a stage to promote new cultural works to both national and international readers, while also providing a forum for editors, publishers and distributors from around the world to discover the newest literary talents and releases. The festival covers a wide span of genres, ranging from literary fiction and poetry to graphic novels and documentaries.
The fair will take place in Bogota’s International Centre for Business and Exhibitions, becoming for a frenzied two week period the world’s largest and most up to date library and literary marketplace.
Last year the Book Fair received a total of 415,000 visitors, generating $20.4 million dollars worth of business nationally and internationally.