Cuban Book Institute (ICL) Director Juan Rodriguez informed that the 31st Havana International Book Fair broke a record of foreign participation with 52 countries, compared to 48 in 2021.

Rodriguez told Prensa Latina that this higher attendance by nations in Cuba’s major literary event increases the possibility of negotiating, publishing abroad, and promoting the right to knowledge and reading for all.

The ICL director stressed that the Fair, ongoing until February 19, strengthens alliances with institutions, the countries of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), and more than 20 nations that make up the Regional Center for the Promotion of Books in Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLALC).

Rodriguez emphasized that this literary platform offers the opportunity to continue to exchange copyrights, co-publications, and print books and e-books.

Experiences for collaboration and negotiation of the authors’ rights and exploring all possibilities for the improvement of publishers, translators, and book workers, in general, are also among the benefits, the ICL director pointed out.