Intellectuals from Mexico, South Africa, Venezuela and Brazil will take part in the Havana International Book Fair, dedicated to Mexico and scheduled from April 20 to 30, according to the Cuban Book Institute (ICL, in Spanish).

Speaking on the TV program Mesa Redonda, the ICL’s editorial vice president, Josué Pérez, warned about the increase, in the coming days, of the list of foreign authors and mentioned the writers with already confirmed attendance, among them, Venezuelan storyteller Jorge Rodríguez.

Although the writer from the South American country is better known for his performance in several public positions and functions in the governments of the Bolivarian leaders Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro, he is also the creator of the texts “La piel del lagarto: cuentos reunidos” and “El sueño de los ciegos”. The event will showcase Mexico’s plurality and diversity with the presence of more than 20 authors, including Paco Ignacio Taibo II, as well as bolero singer Eugenia León, performances by the National Folkloric Ballet and the photographic exhibition “La espina y el fruto”, by Cecilia Salcedo.

According to Perez, this thirtieth edition, held after the 2021 interruption as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, will feature 900 publishing novelties from Cuba, 4,000 titles, four million printed books and numerous proposals in digital format.

The program at the Nicolás Guillén Hall, in the San Carlos de La Cabaña Historic Military Park, also includes the presentation of the National Literature Award to Julio Antonio Travieso; the Publishing Award to Norberto Codina and the Social and Humanistic Sciences Award to José Luis Rodríguez.

The fair’s activities, also coordinated by the Office of the City Historian, will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Carilda Oliver Labra and Jesús Orta Ruiz, known as Indio Naborí, the 120th anniversary of the birth of Nicolás Guillén and the 140th anniversary of the publication of José Martí’s poetry book Ismaelillo.