In Guadalajara these days, there's a strong Catalan influence. Barcelona is the... Guest of honor at the International Book Fair (FIL) From the Mexican city, an event born 39 years ago has become a key annual gathering for the publishing world, especially in the Spanish-speaking world. In 2004, Catalonia was the guest of honor, and after some initial hesitation and pressure from Spain, it attended with its own pavilion and program. This success opened doors for Catalan culture at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2007. Since then, Catalonia has been present at the FIL every year with a significant presence. This year, Barcelona has made a remarkable effort, with an ambitious cultural program that, in addition to the world of books—with a clear majority of Catalan-language authors—also includes music and the visual arts. The Mexican reception has been generous and even enthusiastic.
It could not have been otherwise, both because of the trajectory and relationship of recent decades and because of the historical ties between Catalonia and Mexico, the country that made welcoming Republican exiles—Mexico being the only country that did not recognize Franco's regime—a matter of democratic dignity. Josep Carner, Pere Calders, Avel·lí Artís Gener ThinnerRamon Xirau, Agustí Bartra, Anna Murià, Eduard Nicol, Lluís Ferran de Pol, Pere Bosch Gimpera, and Lluís Nicolau de Olwer were among the intellectuals welcomed. Their influence is remarkable. Perhaps this year's Barcelona program doesn't make much reference to it, but both the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, and the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, have emphasized Catalonia's historical ties and debt to Mexico. The collective amnesia upon which the Transition regime was founded has, for years, hindered the recognition of Mexico's gesture and the Catalan contributions of exiles in the Central American country. Correcting this injustice is a task that must be pursued diligently. In fact, both the Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Government are currently carrying out initiatives in Guadalajara and Mexico City to strengthen cultural and economic ties.
Of course, and despite the strong Catalan presence in the streets of Guadalajara and especially in the halls of the FIL (Guadalajara International Book Fair) these days, the language of Barcelona's presence has been primarily Spanish, and the best-received authors—because, due to obvious linguistic proximity, they are the most well-known and widely read in Mexico—have been the most well-known and widely read in Mexico. But this doesn't diminish the growing interest and significant presence of young and not-so-young authors writing in Catalan, or of classics like Mercè Rodoreda and Montserrat Roig. An effort has been made in this regard, both by Barcelona and by the Institut Ramon Llull and its policy of supporting translations from Catalan into other languages, including, of course, Spanish. Publishers are also making a serious commitment, starting with the large groups (Planeta and Penguin Random House, very strong throughout Latin America) and continuing with a wide range of medium and small presses. Beyond the controversy surrounding the new grant established by the City Council for Latin American authors, the presence of Catalan culture at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) is commendable, a way of persisting, without complexes or exclusions, in the internationalization of Catalan culture.
