As a major publishing centre in Spanish, with a long and passionate relationship with literature and the book industry in Latin America, Barcelona has been chosen as the guest of honour for the 39th edition of the Guadalajara International Book Fair. The Catalan capital will take advantage of this international showcase to present itself to the world with a series of proposals under the motto “The Flowers Will Come”.

The FIL brings together some 750 authors from around fifty different countries. You will find 2,000 publishing imprints and more than 3,000 activities that gather approximately 20,000 professionals; but the big figure is this: in the 2024 edition… 900,000 people visited it!

A large pavilion designed by Fàbric and Santiago de León to emulate a public square—one of those shared spaces that today’s Barcelona claims as its own—will be the setting where various aspects of Barcelona’s literary scene are showcased, and where visitors will be able to meet many Barcelona and Catalan authors who write in Catalan or in Spanish: from Kiko Amat and Núria Cadenes to Marta Buchaca, Sergi Belbel, or Miquel de Palol, to mention just a few.

As for the motto, “The flowers will come,” it is taken from a short story by Mercè Rodoreda, one of the great names of literary Barcelona. It works both as an allusion to the roses we give each other on Sant Jordi and to the symbol of the city of Guadalajara: the rose.

There will surely be talk of the republican exile that was able to survive in freedom thanks to the generosity of the Mexican authorities of the time, but also of the many Mexicans who live today in the Catalan capital.

Exhibitions in different museums in Guadalajara—including The Women Will Come – 150 Years of Struggles in the Streets of Barcelona (28 November to 1 March, at the Museo Cabañas)—and performances by well-known musicians such as Tarta Relena, Love of Lesbian, or Queralt Lahoz (among many others) complete the cultural showcase of today’s Barcelona.

Gastronomy, which is culture as well, will be present at the inaugural lunch of the Guadalajara International Book Fair, during which chef Gerard Bellver will serve a menu inspired by the character of Carvalho, created by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. During this lunch, a brioche in the shape of Barcelona’s panot, created by master baker Ton Cortés, will also be distributed.

If you want more information on the many activities organised by Barcelona at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, consult the FIL website and the Barcelona City of Literature website.