1. art and entertainment
2. books and literature

Mexico Market
Focus 2015
The London Book Fair
M exico is this year’s Market Focus at the
London Book Fair. This presence has
a significance that goes beyond than a
unique appointment for the publishing industry: it
is the highlight of a dual year in which the United
Kingdom and Mexico strengthen their already dynamic and healthful relationships, with hundreds
of activities and interchanges on both sides of the
sea; it is the proof of the growth and relevance of a
publishing industry that had never taken such decisive steps to do serious business abroad, an industry
claiming a place at the table of the big players and
with clear growing opportunities; it is a statement
of the need and urgency of translating into English
one of the most attractive literary traditions in the
world, with names that have changed the way we view
and understand the world and that are still waiting
for their English-speaking readers; it is, finally, the
perfect opportunity to level Mexico’s professional
strengths along with the cultural: not everything is a
piñata or a mariachi, there is a whole community of
professionals facing the 21st century with innovative
ideas and fresh voices.
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With a program that is both professional and cultural,
with publishers, translators, agents, journalists and
authors, the intense presence of Mexico in these three
days has been planned to remain beyond the cruelty
of the calendar: to be the seed of more work and more
conversations so that the professional relationship
is permanent, as the cultural one is.
With children’s authors and publishers, poets, historians, novelists, journalists, big and small publishing houses and an admirable range of artists and
professionals, we are sure this year’s Market Focus
will leave a lasting mark at the London Book Fair.
We are sure you will enjoy it.
Publishers
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Almadía
www.almadia.com.mx
Founded in the city of Oaxaca in 2005, Almadía
promotes the best of contemporary national and
international literature, bringing innovation to the
Mexican publishing industry both in terms of the
catalogue and the unique, stand-out design of their
books. Publishing fiction from Mexico and Latin
America and in translation, as well as poetry, essays
and journalism, it also has collections dedicated to
Noir fiction (Almadía Negra) and travel literature
(Cartografías). Some of the most prominent national
authors from our catalogue include Sergio Pitol,
Juan Villoro, Francisco Hinojosa, Bernardo Esquinca,
Leonardo Da Jandra and Tedi López Mills.
Amaquemecan
www.amaquemecan.com (under construction)
Amaquemecan is a Mexican publishing house specialising in children’s and young adult literature, as
well as research directed to reading promoters. Its
catalogue includes authors such as Gilberto Rendón
Ortiz (Casa de las Américas Award, National Children’s Short Story Award “Juan de la Cabada”),
Elena Dreser, Juana Inés Dehesa, Margarita Robleda,
Ricardo Chávez Castañeda and the emeritus Vicente
Quirarte and Miguel Léon-Portilla Publishing books
in Braille, picture books, non-fiction, short stories
and fiction.
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Artes de México
www.artesdemexico.com
For over twenty years, Artes de México has dedicated its publishing work to the promotion of the
most diverse Mexican aesthetic traditions. With a
high-quality, collectible magazine, it has over time
become a veritable encyclopaedia of art in Mexico
which no connoisseur should overlook. Its books,
on the other hand, have brought together the most
important voices of the national present, in an effort
to clearly fathom the complexities of contemporary
artistic creation. The profile carved by this endeavour
is that of a plural, vast and fascinating country. With
collection such as Libros de la Espiral, Uso y Estilo,
Artes de la Mirada, Itinerarios Poéticos de México,
Luz Portátil and Nuestros Libros del Alba. All these
series were created with the same aim in mind: to
add to the pleasure of contemplating our culture, the
even more immense pleasure of understanding it.
La Caja de Cerillos
www.lacajadecerillosediciones.com
La Caja de Cerillos Ediciones was born in January
2011 as an editorial initiative of Andrea Fuentes
Silva and Alejandro Cruz Atienza. Since its foundation, it has conceived the craft of publishing as a
creative process, exploring the complexities of the
image and the written word through alternative and
interdisciplinary designs, with works of literature, art,
criticism, popular culture, and other unclassifiable
pieces, particularly illustrated books for adults and
different ages. La Caja de Cerillos publishes works
that express multiple manifestations of universal
thought and creativity, exploring the relationship
between the content and the aesthetic value of books
as objects. A publishing house interested in creating
volumes that will transcend the page, conforming
graphic and textual universes whose interdisciplinary reading will push perceptual boundaries. Juan
José Arreola, Salvador Elizondo, Álvaro Enrigue and
Cristina Rivera Garza are some of its authors, in
dialogue with visual artists such as Gabriel Pacheco,
Diego Molina, Sonia Pulido and Richard Zela, among
others.
CIDCLI
www.cidcli.com
A publishing house devoted entirely to children’s
and young adult literature. Literature for toddlers,
children and young adults; stories, legends, poetry,
astronomy, art, biographies, cookbooks, riddles, picture books, ebooks and book apps. Our mission is to
create new readers and contribute to the intellectual
development of children with quality editorial products, using innovative supports and non-traditional
formats to encourage the interaction between the
digital age and paper books. The many awards we
have received include the iTunes best design award
in 2013 for La tienda de animalhombres del señor
Larsen; the Award for editorial art from the CANIEM
in 2013 in the category of young adult; and the
Award for publishing trajectory from the Guadalajara
International Book Fair in 2010.
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Ediciones Era
www.edicionesera.com.mx
Ediciones Era was founded in 1960 and has since established itself as one of the most important Mexican
publishing houses, publishing fiction, poetry, short
stories, journalism, history, cultural criticism, art and
books for children and young adult. Our catalogue is
currently composed of over 400 titles and we publish
around twenty new books a year, without counting
our numerous reprints. Our catalogue has been consolidated as one of the most important in the publishing world in the Spanish language, and includes the
majority of the best writers of our country who have
published their works over the past fifty years, such
as Elena Poniatowska, Carlos Monsiváis, José Emilio
Pacheco, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, Juan Rulfo and
many others, who have already become classics. In
addition to these consecrated authors, Ediciones Era
also promotes young authors, publishing the work
of emerging voices both in fiction and in poetry.
Ediciones El Naranjo
from the beginning. Some of our authors include
Alejandro Magallanes, Berta Hiriart, Kyra Galván,
Francisco Hinojosa and Toño Malpica.
Norma Ediciones
www.interactivosnorma.com
Norma Ediciones offers a comprehensive portfolio
of editorial content, innovative services and educational products. With over fifty years of experience
operating in Spanish-speaking countries, we offer
teachers and students the best books for preschool,
primary and secondary schools, as well as pedagogical support materials. Our catalogue covers the most
diverse areas of knowledge, from mathematics to
reading competencies, including numerous titles of
children’s and young adult literature, for which we
have received awards such as the Hans Christian
Andersen Award and the Astrid Lindgren Award.
Editorial Océano
www.oceano.com.mx
www.edicioneselnaranjo.com.mx
Ediciones El Naranjo is an independent Mexican
publisher with over ten years of experience in producing books for children and young adults which
has stood out for their innovative approach, which
appeals to the sensitivity and imagination of readers.
Incorporating both literature and non-fiction titles,
with collections such as Para los más pequeños, Para
los lectores que empiezan, Para niños lectores and Para
jóvenes lectores, we are dedicated to covering childhood and youth across the spectrum in an attempt
to promote and intensify the pleasure of reading
The collection produced by Océano and its publishing
imprints offers options ranging from basic practical
books to reference books, critical essays and classical
works that make up the history of culture. They all
share a common element: starting from the editorial
conception and throughout the production process,
the books are created with the most strict criteria of
care and quality and with a genuine loyalty towards
its authors. The collection is complemented with by
imprints in distribution by prestigious companies
outside Océano, which function as independentlyoperated corporate entities, but which are identical
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in their commitment to building a self-sustaining
collection of reference books and knowledge of public use through a close relationship with its readers.
Publishing books of fiction, poetry, arts, sciences,
humanities, as well as popular science books and
works dedicated to children’s and young adults.
Mexican authors in its most recent catalogue include
Alberto Chimal, Antonio Ortuño, Ignacio Padilla
and Hugo Hiriart.
Fondo de Cultura Económica
www.fondodeculturaeconomica.com
Throughout the course of its 80-year history, Fondo
de Cultura Económica (FCE) has published the work
of many outstanding authors and scholars, creating
one of the richest and most diverse lists in Latin
America. The Nobel Prize winner Octavio Paz, along
with Alfonso Reyes, Carlos Fuentes, Juan Rulfo,
Rosario Castellanos, and hundreds of other distinguished literary authors, including the elected 2015
Mexican ambassador for Children’s Books, Francisco
Hinojosa, have made FCE their home. We also have
a longstanding tradition as an academic publisher:
established in 1934, FCE originally provided students of Economics with books in Spanish before
gradually expanding to include other subjects, and
its backlist now consists of some ten thousand titles
on Anthropology, Art, Communication, Education,
History, Philosophy, Sociology, Popular Science,
and Psychology. For the last twenty five years, the
Children’s Books division has published titles of
outstanding literary and visual quality, some of which
have received important recognitions such as a New
Horizons Award, and mentions in the White Ravens
Catalogue and the AIGA.
Penguin Random House
www.megustaleer.com.mx
The objective of Penguin Random House Grupo
Editorial is to publish books for all types of readers
of all ages and in any format, either paper or digital.
To achieve this goal, we are constantly innovating to
open new avenues that allow us to continue in at the
forefront of the publishing world, constantly renewing ourselves to adapt to the new times. The catalogue
of authors of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial includes an unrivalled group of writers such as
Premio Cervantes winner Juan Marsé, or the Nobel
prizes García Márquez, J.M. Coetzee, Orhan Pamuk,
V.S. Naipaul, Elfriede Jelinek, Doris Lessing, Toni
Morrison, Gao Xingjian, Ernest Hemingway, Daniel
Kahneman and Winston Churchill, among others.
Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial operates
in Spain, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Colombia and
Uruguay. In addition, our publishing group exports
and distributes its titles in over 45 countries of Latin
America, Asia, Europe and the United States.
Petra Ediciones
www.petraediciones.com
Petra Ediciones is a Guadalajara-based publishing
house founded in 1990, which publishes books of
photography, art and fiction by innovative authors
and artists. We have received numerous nominations and international awards, such as the Bologna
Children’s Book Fair award to the Best Children’s
Publisher of 2014 in the category of Central and
South America. Petra Ediciones works in the research
and application of new approaches to reading for
beginner, middle and advanced readers.
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Grupo Planeta
Ediciones Tecolote
www.editorialplaneta.com.mx
www.edicionestecolote.com
Grupo Planeta is one of the largest and most emblematic publishing houses of the Spanish-speaking
world, and has over twenty imprints, which maintain
their own personality and share their dedication to
literary quality. Grupo Planeta presents its Latin
American Rights Office, a new business line launched
in Mexico City in April 2013 with the intention of
promoting Latin American authors and the literary
production of the region, including fiction and nonfiction, into other languages, territories and formats.
Ediciones Tecolote was created in 1993 and its objective is to promote the historical and cultural heritage
of Mexico, as well as to awaken the passion for reading, knowledge of other cultures and the care of their
environment, in children and young adults. 65%
of our collection is in the libraries of the Mexico’s
Ministry of Education. With an extensive catalogue,
Ediciones Tecolote publishes biographies of fundamental characters in recent history for beginner
readers, as well as books for introducing the arts, or
the great civilisations of antiquity, to young children.
Editorial Sexto Piso
www.sextopiso.com
Trilce Ediciones
www.trilce.com.mx
Editorial Sexto Piso was born in the year 2002 in
Mexico City. Its catalogue has continued to grow year
by year until it surpassed the number of 200 published titles in 2013. It is currently one of the most
important publishing houses in Mexico and it has a
subsidiary in Spain, as well as distribution throughout Latin America. With its six collections: Clásicos,
Narrativa, Ensayo, Realidades, Ilustrados and Niños,
it publishes both Mexican and Spanish-speaking
authors and indisputable classics of universal literature in new translations and contemporary authors
of the most varied traditions. The list of authors is
eclectic and includes the great classics such as Henry
James, Franz Kafka and Rudyard Kipling, alongside
internationally renown contemporary authors such
as Etgar Keret, Roberto Calasso and Goran Petrovic,
and national authors such as Mario Bellatin and
Margo Glantz, as well as younger authors, such as
Valeria Luiselli and Carlos Velázquez.
Trilce Ediciones is a publishing house specialising in
the development of content from the generation of
the concept, research and production, to the distribution through different platforms such as books, apps,
exhibitions and the internet. It has four collections:
Arte, which publishes books of photography, design, architecture, popular culture and contemporary
art; Tristán Lecoq which publishes poetry and prose
poetry, and which stands out for the painstaking
craft and the quality of its authors, which include
Nobel prize winner Seamus Heaney, Hans van de
Waarsenburg and Mathew Sweeney, as well as José
Luis Rivas, José Kozer and William Ospina; El Encarguito, a collection dedicated to publishing the
journalist endeavours of outstanding writers such as
Carlos Monsiváis, Jorge F. Hernández and Guillermo
Sheridan; and Niños y Jóvenes, which publishes books
for young readers, with select subjects and the best
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illustrations, such as the recent trilogy El brasier de
mamá, by Edmée Pardo, with illustrations by Edgar
Clement, which raises awareness on breast cancer
among young audiences.
Vaso Roto Ediciones
www.vasoroto.com
Vaso Roto Ediciones is a publishing house focused
mainly on foreign voices. The quality that distinguishes Vaso Roto makes it one of the most prestigious independent publishers in Mexico. With a
carefully curated catalogue, it seeks to promote the
most prominent voices in the global scene. The huge
amount of cares that goes into every book has been
recognised with the Editorial Merit Award by the
UNAM in 2014 and the Juan de Mairena Award
granted by the Secretariat of Culture of Jalisco.
Mexican authors on its list include Elsa Cross, Eduardo Lizalde, Ricardo Yáñez, Alfredo Espinosa, Luis
Armenta Malpica, visual artist Daniel Lezama and
sculptor Javier Marín.
Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México (UNAM)
www.libros.unam.mx
UNAM is the largest publishing house in the Spanishspeaking world. Its production averages 1200 printed
titles and 500 electronic titles per year. It publishes
literature, and state-of-the-art research in Spanish
for all sciences and humanities. It translates the most
within the Mexican publishing industry, and it has
been the publishing house of the most outstanding
academic writers in Modern Mexico.
Authors
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Roger Bartra
A Mexican sociologist and anthropologist, recognised as one of most important contemporary social
scientists of his country, Roger Bartra is well known
for his work on Mexican identity in The Cage of
Melancholy. Identity and Metamorphosis in the Mexican Character, his social theory in The Imaginary
Networks of Political Power and, more recently, his
anthropo-clinical theory of the exocerebrum, that
argues that the brain is partly constructed by its
“cultural prostheses”, the external socio-cultural
elements that complete it. Trained as an anthropologist in Mexico, Bartra earned his doctorate in
sociology at La Sorbonne and is Emeritus Research
Fellow at the National Autonomous University of
Mexico, where he has worked since 1971. In 1985
he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is
also Honorary Research Fellow at Birkbeck College,
University of London.
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Carmen Boullosa
She is the author of several books of poetry (the most
recent being La patria insomne and Corro a mirarme
en ti) and eighteen novels, as well as a number of
essay collections and plays (seven of them have been
staged). She has read at book fairs and festivals in
dozens of countries and has lectured at Oxford, Cambridge, Heidelberg, Freie Universität Berlin, Irvine,
Brown, UCLA, Yale, the Library of Congress and
UNAM, among other institutions. There are scores of
books and over seventy doctoral thesis that deal with
her work and her novella La otra mano de Lepanto was
considered in an international survey of authorities
as one of the best works of literature written in Spanish in the past 25 years. She was Visiting Professor
at NYU, Columbia University, Georgetown, Blaise
Pascal and SDSU; Distinguished Lecturer at City
College, CUNY (2004-2010); and Alfonso Reyes
Chair at La Sorbonne. She served as Chief Advisor
for a major museum exhibition (Nueva York 16131945), and engaged in the writing and production a
feature film based on her novel, Las paredes hablan.
An exhibit of her artwork was held at Museo Carillo
Gil (Despechadas, me dejaste con hormigas en el alma)
She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and the
Xavier Villaurrutia Literature Award.
Lydia Cacho
Mexican journalist, writer and Human Rights defender. Her world reputation as an expert on freedom of expression, peace education, gender and
social violence, as well as her award-winning books
on organised crime, child pornography and human
trafficking, have brought her to Europe, Asia, Latin
America, Australia, Canada and the United States as
a professional speaker. She has been a guest lecturer
at Columbia University, NYU, Syracuse University,
University of Michigan, Stanford University, and
UCLA among others. She is a Board Member of
Article 19, the UK-based Freedom of Expression
NGO. Her books have been translated into 18 languages. She lives under constant death threats from
the crime lords she has exposed.
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Francisco Hinojosa
He studied Spanish Language and Literature at
the National Autonomous University of Mexico
(UNAM). Before dedicating himself to writing
on a full-time basis, he edited various periodical
publications such as La Gaceta (Fondo de Cultura
Económica). He has published more than 50 books
of poetry, short stories, travel chronicles, journalism,
essays, children’s books, textbooks, and anthologies.
Some of his titles include: Robinson perseguido, La
peor señora del mundo, La Fórmula del Dr. Funes,
Una semana en Lugano, Ana, ¿verdad?, Informe negro, Un tipo de cuidado, Migraña en racimos, Mexican Chicago, La nota negra, Cuéntame, Poesía eras
tú, El tiempo apremia and Emma. His works have
been translated into English, Korean, Portuguese,
Italian, Polish, Lithuanian and Slovenian. He has
also authored and edited textbooks for elementary
and secondary education. He has obtained various
awards and recognitions, such as the San Luis Potosí National Short Story Award, as well as multiple
grants from Mexico’s National System of Creative
Artists (SNCA).
Enrique Krauze
A historian, essayist, and editor, he earned a degree in
industrial engineering at the National Autonomous
University of Mexico and a doctorate in history at
Colegio de Mexico. He worked for over two decades
with Octavio Paz at Vuelta magazine, where he was
editor-in-chief and subdirector. In 1992 he founded
the publishing house Clío, which he is director of, and
he is also director of prominent cultural magazine
Letras Libres, which he founded in 1999, distributed
in several Spanish-speaking countries. His many
awards include the Magda Donato Award for his
book Caudillos culturales de la Revolución mexicana,
the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Comillas Biography Award given by Tusquets Editores, the Capitán
Alonso de León Medal for Historical Merit, and
the Alfonso X the Wise Grand Cross of Civil Order
(awarded by the Spanish government). He is the
author of landmark books in national historiography
such as Biography of Power, Daniel Cosío Villegas:
Una biografía intelectual, La presidencia imperial and
La presencia del pasado, among many others, and is
author of various TV series on historical subjects.
He is member of the Mexican Academy of History
and, since 2005, member of El Colegio Nacional.
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Tedi López Mills
She studied philosophy at the Mexican National
University and literature at La Sorbonne. She has
published eleven poetry books: Cinco estaciones, Un
lugar ajeno, Segunda persona (Efraín Huerta National
Poetry Award), Glosas, Horas, Luz por aire y agua, Un
jardín, cinco noches (y otros poemas), Contracorriente
(José Fuentes Mares Literature Award), Parafrasear,
Death on Rua Augusta (Xavier Villaurrutia Award),
and most recently, Amigo del perro cojo. She has also
published two non-fiction books, one on Stéphane
Mallarmé, La noche en blanco de Mallarmé, and a
collection of personal-narrative essays, Libro de las
explicaciones. She has translated the work of many
American, Canadian, English and French poets into
Spanish. She lives in Mexico City.
Valeria Luiselli
Author of the internationally acclaimed novel Faces
in the Crowd and the book of essays Sidewalks, both
translated to multiple languages and published in the
UK by Granta. Her most recent novel is The Story of
My Teeth (Granta 2015). Her work has appeared in
the New Yorker, The New York Times and McSweeney’s, among others. She has written a ballet libretto
for the New York City Ballet in Lincoln Center and
in 2014 she was the recipient of the National Book
Foundation’s “5 under 35” award for her book Faces
in the Crowd. She has lived in Costa Rica, Korea,
South Africa, India, Spain and the United States.
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Elena Poniatowska
She began her career in journalism in 1954 in the
newspaper Excélsior, and soon after in Novedades.
Early on she began to publish interviews with personalities in the Mexican and international cultural scene
such as Alfonso Reyes, Luis Buñuel, Diego Rivera,
Juan Rulfo, André Malraux and Rosario Castellanos, among others. She is author of over forty books
covering almost all genres: interviews, short stories,
theatre plays, narrative journalism, novels, essays and
biographies. Her book La noche de Tlatelolco, a polyphonic testimony of one of the most tragic episodes
in Mexico’s contemporary history, was acclaimed by
readers and critics alike. Her many awards include
the Mazatlán Literature Award, the Alfaguara Novel
Award, the National Arts and Sciences Award, the
Rómulo Gallegos Award, and the Cervantes Award.
Her extensive list of publications include Hasta no
verte, Jesús mío, Fuerte es el silencio, Tinísima, La
piel del cielo, El tren pasa primero, Octavio Paz: Las
palabras del árbol and Leonora. Her political commitment and active participation in the public life of
Mexico have been constant throughout her career.
Pedro Serrano
Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Poetry and
Poetry and Translation at UNAM, he has also taught
at the Universidad de Barcelona and Georgetown
University. He has published several books of poems. Along with Carlos López Beltrán he edited
and translated La generación del cordero (The Lamb
Generation) a bilingual anthology of Contemporary
British Poetry, and an anthology of the Irish poet
Matthew Sweeney. He translated Shakespeare’s King
John and Edward Hirsch’s Lay Back the Darkness into
Spanish, and his poems have appeared in Modern
Poetry in Translation, Nimrod International Journal
and Bomb, among others. He has been also included
in the anthologies Reversible Monuments, Connecting
Lines, Mexican Poetry Today 20/20 Voices, Being
Human. More Real Poems for Unreal Times, and
Literature. An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama
and Writing, edited by X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia.
He is editor of Periódico de Poesía, an online poetry
journal (www.periodicodepoesia.unam.mx).
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Juan Villoro
He has been Professor at the UNAM, and Visiting
Professor at Yale, Princeton and Pomeu Fabra University. He has translated works by Truman Capote,
Graham Green, Goethe, Lichtenberg, and Rezzori.
He received the José Donoso Ibero-American Award
given in Chile, for life achievement; the Premio
ACE in Argentina, for best theatre play of the year;
Antonin Artaud Award for the best Mexican book of
the year; the José María Arguedas Award in Cuba for
best Latin American novel of the last two years; the
Herralde Award for best book of the year, and the
Manuel Vázquez Montalbán International Award,
among others. He has authored novels, short story
collections, children’s books, theatre plays, books of
essays and narrative journalism. His works include
the novel Los culpables, the book of literary essays De
eso se trata and his theatre monologue Conferencia
sobre la lluvia, among others.
Jorge Volpi
Author of the novels La paz de los sepulcros, El temperamento melancólico and his Trilogy of the Twentieth Century: En busca de Klingsor, El fin de la locura
and No será la tierra. He has also written the novellas
collected in Días de ira, Sanar tu piel amarga, El jardín
devastado and Oscuro bosque oscuro. His books of
essays include La imaginación y el poder, La Guerra
y las palabras, Mentiras contagiosas, El insomnio de
Bolívar and Leer la mente. He has taught at universities in Mexico, Chile, Spain, USA and France, and
has been a fellow of the Guggenheim Foundation and
the National System of Creators of Mexico. He was
director of TV Channel 22 and is a regular contributor to Reforma and El País newspapers. His books
have been translated into 25 languages. In 2012 he
received the Planeta-Casa de América Award for
his novel Tejedora de sombras. His novel Memorial
del Engaño was published in 2014 in Latin America
and Spain, and is forthcoming in Brazil, Portugal,
Italy and France. He is currently General Director
of Festival Internacional Cervantino.
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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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40
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
46
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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