1. travel
2. tourist destinations
3. mexico and central america

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Activities
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Monday 13 apr
later founded the cultural magazine Letras Libres. Krauze will
talk about british writers that have influenced mexican literature.
10:00-13:00 h ¶ lse old building
Round Table Discussion on
Freedom of Expression in Mexico
Carmen Boullosa, Pedro Serrano, Roger Bartra, Juan
Villoro, Philippe Sands, Maureen Freely and others
A Round Table discussion with writers from Mexico and leading writers, thinkers and lawyers in the UK with an interest in
freedom of expression and Mexico. Participants will discuss
whether there are challenges for writers in Mexico - from the
impact of the law to self-censorship. By invitation only. This
event is hosted by English PEN and PEN International.
Tuesday 14 Apr
10:00-11:00 h ¶ gallery suite seminar room 1
Overview of the Mexican
Publishing Industry
Rafael Tovar, Conaculta; José Ignacio Echeverría,
Caniem; José Carreño, FCE; José Calafell,
Planeta; Eduardo Rabasa, Sexto Piso;
and Emma House (Publisher Asociation).
14:00-17:00 h ¶
british library conference centre
11:30-12:30 h ¶ children’s hub, west hall
Enrique Krauze, Pedro Serrano and others
This seminar explores the connections Paz made with British
Juan Villoro, Socorro Venegas, Melvin Burgess,
Klaus Flugge and John Mclay
literature and academic life. In 1970, Mexican Nobel Laureate
Two unique and polemical writers who have, each in their own
Octavio Paz was a Professor at Cambridge, a defining and tran-
market, gone beyond what was hitherto allowed in children’s
sitional time in his career that sowed in him a life-long interest
and young adult literature, talk with their editors about the
Britain. This seminar explores this little-studied period and the
creative process (how did the book come to the publisher’s at-
connections Paz made with British literature and academic life.
tention, how they begin to work with the author, with the text,
Octavio Paz and the United Kingdom
❦ p rofessional
activity
How does the conversations between
children’s authors and publishers go?
the illustrations, etc
invitation ❦
requested
17:45-19:30 h ¶
british library terrace restaurant
Ambassador’s Reception
19:45-21:00 h ¶ british library conference centre
11.30-12:00 h ¶ olympia-pen literary salon 1
Elena Poniatowska in conversation with
Gaby Wood
English Literature and Mexico:
An Evening with Enrique Krauze
11:30-12:30 h ¶ olympia-gallery suite
Presented by Gaby Wood
Chloe Aridjis, Daniel Krauze,
Natalia Toledo and Jennifer Clement
Join us for an intimate evening with one of Mexico’s most dis-
Litro Presents New Writing from Mexico
tinguished men of letters, Enrique Krauze. As well as being an
eminent intellectual, historian, essayist and cultural critic, Krauze
worked with Octavio Paz on Vuelta for over twenty years, and
12:00-13:00 h ¶ olympia-conference centre
LBF Opening Ceremony
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professional ❦
activity
12:45-13:30 h ¶
author hq theatre, olympia central
What we talk about when we talk about
writing and reading in the digital era
16:00-17:00 h ¶ olympia - gallery suite
Poetry Reading & Conversation
Tedi Lopez Mills, Pedro Serrano and Adam Foulds
Two of Mexico’s finest poets, Tedi López Mills and Pedro Serrano,
James Knight, George Szirtes,
Mauricio Montiel Figueiras and Julio Trujillo
will read from their poetry and discuss their work in conversa-
The influence that internet has on the reading and writing
poetry, their poetic influences and the place of poetry – and the
habits that are shaping the cultural face of the new millennium
poet - in a modern literary society.
tion with TBC. They will talk about the form and function of
is undeniable. But how beneficial is this influence; do we write
and read better in a time when the flow of electronic informa-
16:30-17:30 h ¶ olympia-mexico pavilion
printed publications? Three authors gather to talk about their
Selling rights to Mexico
matchmaking session
personal literary processes in new technological platforms linked
Children publishers
tion forces us to rethink and reshape the future of books and
❦ p rofessional
activity
to the written word.
19:15 h ¶ wahaca azulito
Journalism and its Dangers
Launch of México20:
New Voices, Old Traditions
Juan Villoro, Lydia Cacho, Roger Bartra, Will Self
and Tom Wainwright
Valeria Luiselli, Eduardo Rabasa.
Intro by Juan Villoro and Julio Trujillo
13:00-14:00 h ¶ olympia-gallery suite
❦ invitation
requested
Mexico is notoriously dangerous for journalists, who increasingly
find themselves the target of death threats, physical attacks,
arbitrary detentions and assassinations. Hear a panel of speakers
discuss the relationship between the media, politics and society.
14:15-15:15 h ¶ olympia-mexico pavilion
Mexican Pavilion Opening
professional ❦
activity
19:30-21:30 h ¶ rich mix
The Enemies Project:
Enemigos - Mexican Poetry
Carmen Boullosa, Rocío Cerón, Amanda de la
Garza, Adriana Díaz Enciso, Nell Leyshon,
Holly Pester, SJ Fowler and Fabian Peake
The Enemies project presents Enemigos, its long term engagement
15:30-16:30 h ¶ olympia - mexico pavilion
with collaborative poetry and radical translation between the
Buying rights from Mexico
matchmaking session
writing nations of Mexico and Britain. Join a host of Mexican
Children publishers
they collaborate and exchange with their British counterparts
poets and writers on the first night of the London Bookfair as
in an original evening of literature, read and discussed as part
16:00-16:30 h ¶ olympia - pen literary salon 2
Jorge Volpi in conversation
with Stefan Tobler
of the groundbreaking Enemies project. Featuring Rocio Ceron,
SJ Fowler and others.
Jorge Volpi and Stefan Tobler
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Wednesday 15 Apr
professional ❦
activity
11:30-12:30 h ¶ olympia-gallery suite
Guest of Honour at Guadalajara
Book Fair: Opportunities for
UK Publishers and Writers
FIL Delegate: Marisol Shultz and David Unger.
Cortina Butler and Sofia Sjodin (UK)
13:00-14:00 h ¶ children’s hub, west hall
Bright Minds:
Children’s publishing. Talent Working
❦ p rofessional
activity
Peggy Espinosa (Petra Ediciones );
Cristina Urrutia (Tecolote); Deirdre McDermott
(Walker Books), Anna Ridley (Tate Publishing)
and Karen Coeman
What are publishers’ strategies nowadays for bringing books to
children and young adults who are mesmerized by the world
professional ❦
activity
11:30-12:30 h ¶ the faculty
Books for Everyone:
Promoting Academic Publishing
Édgar García, Ana Elsa Pérez and Javier Martínez
Universities and books are institutions that have been closely
of visual communication? Four original publishers from two
different countries discuss different ways of bringing together
images, words, emotions and ideas, without going bankrupt.
14:00-15:00 h ¶ olympia-mexico pavilion
portant part of each one of the three missions of the University:
Buying rights from Mexico
matchmaking session
teaching, research, and the promotion of culture. However,
Fiction - Non Fiction
related throughout history. Books have served to cover an im-
❦ p rofessional
activity
academic publishing is facing a series of problems – especially
in terms of distribution and sales – which often make it dif-
14:30-15:30 h ¶ olympia-ltc
ficult to promote these books. This panel discussion will cover
LTC: Mexican Translation Slam
the strategies, actions and projects developed by Universidad
Veracruzana, the Al texto Network of Academic Publishers,
Valeria Luiselli, Ollie Brock,
Sophie Hughes and Daniel Hahn
and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, in order
Emerging Spanish-to-English translators and will test their
to bring academic books into the hands of the reader.
linguistic mettle in a light-hearted duel of words. The slam
will showcase the art of translation by juxtaposing competing
11:30-12:00 h ¶ olympia-pen literary salon 3
Valeria Luiselli in conversation
with Catherine Taylor
Valeria Luiselli and Catherine Taylor
13:00-14:00 h ¶ olympia - gallery suite
New Forms of Storytelling
translations of the same piece of contemporary writering by
Mexican novelist.
14:30-15:30 h ¶ olympia-gallery suite
How does Mexico’s Past
explain Mexico’s Present?
Roger Bartra and Enrique Krauze
Jorge Volpi and Martín Solares
Historian Enrique Krauze, who collaborated with Octavio Paz
Storytelling has often been regarded as a widespread activity in
on Vuelta magazine and now coordinates Mexico’s literary pe-
Mexico, including family anecdotes, horror stories, folktales, and
riodical Letras Libres, and Roger Bartra, leading sociologist and
historical recounts. A panel of esteemed writers explore how
anthropologist, discuss whether the cultural history of Mexico
these genres are now presented in alternate forms of literature.
has cast a shadow over today’s literary and social landscape.
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professional ❦
activity
14:30-15:30 h ¶ gallery suite seminar room 1
Why do children read:
case studies of reading promotion
Pam Dix (Ibby UK), Jonathan Douglas (National
Literacy Trust), Adam Freudenheim (Pushkin
Press), Karen Coeman, Socorro Venegas (FCE).
Chairman: Julia Eccleshare
professional ❦
activity
15:00-16:00 h ¶ olympia - mexico pavilion
Selling rights to Mexico
matchmaking session
16:00-17:00 h ¶
wembley high technology college
Reading with Q&A with School pupils
Francisco Hinojosa and Alison Hathi
18:30-20:30 h ¶ british council
Market Focus Reception
Thursday 16 Apr
Fiction - Non Fiction
9:00-17:00 h ¶ olympia conference centre
16:00-17:00 h ¶ olympia-gallery suite
José Ignacio Echeverría
To live and die in Mexico
Carmen Boullosa, Elena Poniatowska,
Sarah Waters and Sameer Rahim
❦ invitation
requested
What Works? Education Conference
❦ p rofessional
activity
10:00 h ¶ olympia-mexico pavilion
From stories of ghosts interacting with the living, to festivals
So Many Books by Gabriel Zaid,
A Round Table.
remembering the dead, death is revered in Mexico. As the Nobel
Enrique Krauze and Alison Baverstock
prize-winning Mexican writer Octavio Paz explained in Labyrinth of Solitude: “The Mexican ... is familiar with death, jokes
11:30-12:00 h ¶ olympia-gallery suite
in ghosts emerge in literature.
Breaking Misconceptions of
Magical Realism: Reinventing
Mexico’s Literary Legacy
16:00-17:00 h ¶ olympia-ltc
Juan Villoro, Christopher Domínguez Michael,
and Joanne Harris
about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it.” Join a panel of
writers as they discuss how these extensive and varied beliefs
LTC: A Single Title’s Journey
When Latin America literature began to gain popularity out-
Juan Villoro, Thomas Bunstead,
Joshua Ellison and Lawrence Schimel
side of Spanish-speaking circles, it was its magic, mystery and
How does the whole thing work? How does a publisher find a
contemporary Mexican writers choose to break away from
foreign language book, decide they like it, commission a trans-
‘magical realism’, this panel explores the challenges in breaking
lator, and what does the process look like thereafter? Taking a
with conventions and misconceptions that have dominated the
single case study as an example — a forthcoming collection of
Mexican literary scene.
metafiction that drew European and American readers. As
essays by the Mexican writer Juan Villoro — Lawrence Schimel
will be speaking with the publisher Joshua Ellison, who is Executive Editor of Restless Books, the translator Thomas Bunstead,
and the author himself.
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professional ❦
activity
13:00-14:00 h ¶ olympia-mexico pavilion
year’s London Book Fair and International Translation Day, we
Translating Mexico: the Hows and the Whos
pick up the question to see how quickly things are changing, or
Amanda Hopkinson, Lucy Greaves, Christina
MacSweeney, Sophie Hughes and Juana Adcock
whether they’re changing at all.
Translators will be discussing how they came to establish a
relationship with their authors, acting as champios and agentes
for them in the English speakin world, and how the avenues that
have already been created can continue to be used to increse
the visibility of Mexican Literature.
13:00-14:00 h ¶ olympia-pen literary salon 4
Juan Villoro in conversation
with Amanda Hopkinson
14:00-15:00 h ¶ olympia-mexico pavilion
Digital Codex Mendoxa fot the
LBF 2015, Mexican Heritage Institute
Dr. Samuel Fanous, Head of Publishing, Bodleian
Libraries; Dr. Peter Stokes, Senior Lecturer in
Digital Humanities, King’s College London
and Ernesto Miranda
The digital edition of the Codex Mendoza represents the first
attempt in the world to create a digital resourse that permites
Juan Villoro and Amanda Hopkinson
an in-deph study of a Mexican Codez.
13:00-14:00 h ¶ olympia-high street theatre
14:30-15:00 h ¶ olympia-pen literary salon 5
Francisco Hinojosa, Tanya Huntington
(interpreteur), Anthony Browne and Julia Eccleshare
Carmen Boullosa and Amanda Hopkinson
Quality & Vitality: A Conversation between
Mexican and British Children’s Lauretes
Creators and laureates on conquering the Children’s and Young
Adult Literature market, a conversation between Anthony Browne
and Francisco Hinojosa. Both have captivated generations of
Carmen Boullosa in conversation
with Amanda Hopkinson
14:30-15:30 h ¶ olympia-gallery suite
Machismo and Mexico’s
Experience of Feminism
Laureates in their own countries. What can an author who has
Elena Poniatowska, Lydia Cacho,
Bidisha and Ellah Allfrey
become the representative of an entire sector do to promote the
Patriarchal systems in Mexico have long denied women to play a
expansion of the market?
rightful role in nation building and to enter the public arena, and
readers in both sides of the Atlantic, and are now Children’s
❦ p rofessional
activity
have ignored female participation during the Mexican Revolu-
13:00-14:00 h ¶ olympia-ltc
tion. However, there has since been a rise of women writers in
Women in Translation
contemporary Mexico whose works attempt to break existing
Carmen Boullosa, Joanna Harris,
A.M. Bakalar and Katy Darbyshire
models of masculinity and femininity, and re-edit the female
experience into the country’s history.
Why are so of few of the books translated into English written by
women? Why do female writers so rarely win translation prizes?
Why is it so hard for women who are widely read in their own
16:00-17:00 h ¶ olympia-mexico pavilion
Closing Ceremony
countries to find an English publisher, and what can be done
to address this imbalance? Following on from sessions at last
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19:00-20:00 h ¶ free word
Lydia Cacho in conversation
with Gaby Wood
Friday 17 Apr
19:00-20:30 h ¶ london review bookshop
Lydia Cacho and Gaby Wood
World Literature Series
Leading Mexican writer, journalist and activist Lydia Cacho
Elena Poniatowska and Michael Schmidt
talks to Gaby Wood, Head of Books at the Daily Telegraph,
Elena Poniatowska’s work, in both fiction and journalism, has
about freedom of expression and human rights in Mexico. As
always been devoted to giving a voice to the voiceless, the disen-
a campaigner and investigative reporter, Lydia has exposed cor-
franchised and the oppressed. Her most famous book La noche
ruption and sex trafficking at risk to her own life. She has been
de Tlatelolco (1971) dealt with the massacre of up to 300 pro-
awarded international prizes in recognition of her remarkable
testers in Mexico City in 1968. Others of her books have been
work, including the PEN Pinter International Writer of Cour-
recreations of the lives of ordinary Mexicans, such as the victims
age Award.
of the 1985 earthquake, and of well-known artists and radicals
such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and Tina Modotti. Her most
19:00-21:30 h ¶
british council-spring gardens
Dinner hosted by Ciaran Devane
and the Mexican Ambassador
Enrique Krauze and Elena Poniatowska
recent novel Leonora, recently translated for Serpent’s Tail by
Amanda Hopkinson, is based on the life of the surrealist artist
Leonora Carrington who sought and found refuge in Mexico, the
country where she created most of her finest work and where
she died in 2011. Poniatowska will be appearing at the shop to
talk about her career with Michael Schmidt.
evening ¶ poetry library
World Poets Series:
Mexican Poet in London
evening ¶ wales milenium centre, cardiff
Tedi Lopez Mills and Sasha Dugdale
Juan Villoro, Francesca Rhydderch
and Owen Sheers
As London welcomes Mexico’s finest writers to The London
Short Stories Event
Book Fair this week, join us in the Poetry Library for a very
special evening with Mexican poet Tedi López Mills. This event
evening ¶ wales milenium centre, cardiff
is hosted by Modern Poetry in Translation and supported by
Poetry Event
the British Council and Conaculta as part of The London Book
Pedro Serrano, Bill Herbert
and Richard Gwyn
Fair Mexico Market Focus Cultural Programme.
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Directory
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Conaculta
National Council for
Culture and the Arts
Publishing Department
Rafael Tovar y de Teresa
president
Ricardo Cayuela Gally
general director
Saúl Juárez Vega
secretary of culture and art
Marina Núñez Bespalova
general coordinator
Francisco Cornejo Rodríguez
executive secretary
Julio Trujillo
editorial director
José Luis Martínez
general director of international affairs
Paola Morán Leyva
director of the promotion
of publishing and reading
Ana Sofía Saucedo Fuentes
press and media director
Alejandro Ortega Cue
subdirector of the promotion
of publishing and special events
Elizabeth Minerva Campos Estrada
coordinator of logistics
Rebeca Hassan
administrative liaison
Alonso García & Ruth Delgado
design and print staff
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