The Madrid Book Fair 2023 has come to an end, the challenge of which was to maintain the good pulse that it recovered in 2022. Pending the final data, which will be available in the middle of next week, it is estimated that the figures are similar to those of last year, in which a sales record was broken with a total of 10,207,000 euros. And all this despite having had a persistent protagonist who is never well received in an event of this caliber held outdoors: the rain.
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And it is that Primavera Sound, which was forced to cancel one of its days this week, has not been the only one affected by the storm. Also the most important literary event of the year that, in fact, has had to overcome its rainiest edition, with twelve of its seventeen days spent by water. This situation has coincided with the premiere of the ‘Shadow Project’ launched to protect readers from the sun through some giant canvases that, finally, have not been so needed.
The organization has shared a statement this Sunday thanking the support of the visitors who, despite the weather, have not stopped going to the El Retiro park to buy specimens. “The sensations are excellent,” says Eva Orúe, director of the Fair. In his writing, in fact, he does not rule out the possibility that the numbers of 2022 will finally be exceeded – and therefore break a new record. As they affirm, the 82nd edition will close “at least”, with sales figures “ Similar”.
The literary event opened its doors on May 26, two days before the municipal and regional elections that have been in the spotlight ever since. Its inauguration coincided with the last day of the electoral campaign, in such a way that it brought together politicians such as Miquel Iceta, José Luis Martínez Almeida, Andrea Levy, Madrid Marta Rivera de la Cruz, and Begoña Villacís. The one who could not be there that day was Queen Letizia, who ended up walking through the booths on May 31, acquiring among other titles the city of god by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
In the acknowledgment chapter of the statement, Eva Orúe mentioned in first place the exhibitors “who have been through the hard rains and the sunny ripe ones”. They were one of the parties involved that made it possible to alleviate the controversy that surrounded the Fair before it started, since, after the hardening of the conditions to obtain a position, it was necessary to generate new synergies between publishers and bookstores to resolve the lack of space. Inside the Retreat. Solidarity between the two was key. As was already predicted last year, and everything indicates that it will be a constant for the next year, the distribution of booths will once again be the big headache. This year it has had a total of 385, which have hosted 424 exhibitors.
The person in charge has also agreed with the authors, “whose signatures are the identity of this Fair”. Gioconda Belli, Sara Mesa, Fernando Aramburu, Martín Caparrós, Elvira Lindo, Luis García Montero, Rosa Montero, Carla Novillo and Manuel Vilas have been some of the many writers who have met their followers within the framework of the Fair. The organization has taken the opportunity to pay tribute to figures such as Francisco Ibáñez, Raúl Guerra Garrido, Carmen Martín Gaite, Juan Benet and Antonio Gala. This Sunday he closes his tributes with a reading of fragments of the work of Javier Marías.
Another of the names present on the list of signatures has been that of Ana Obregón, who, according to EFE, has brought together dozens of people queuing this Sunday since half past eight in the morning, to ensure the signing of the book The shrew boy. A title that, according to the actress in her presentation on Wednesday, she has written “to fulfill one of the wishes of her son Aless [fallecido en 2020 a los 27 por causa de un cáncer]: to be a writer. There has been no shortage of television cameras, handshakes, elbows, applause and shouts.
Finally, Orúe has remembered all the people “who have participated in the more than 400 activities”, together with those who have joined the parallel events such as Turning pages, from the book to the screensa project that seeks to stimulate links between the audiovisual and publishing sectors.
Science and literature, twinned
The organization states that they are equally “satisfied” with the incorporated structural changes. Among them, the inclusion of three squares and a central area with 24 booths. “We trust that this experiment works because we need the center to gain space in El Retiro,” Orúe advanced in the presentation of the edition. As well as the commitment to replace the formula of having a guest country with the option that the axis was a central theme. In this case, science.
Scientific dissemination has occupied a relevant place in the collection provided by numerous exhibitors. The director has highlighted the work of the Union of Spanish University Publishers (UNE) for the editorial offer provided, as well as “the dynamism that they have breathed into the Plaza de la Ciencia and the Universities, presided over by the replica of a human brain installed by the CSIC. It is still early to predict what will be the theme that will be the backbone of next year’s edition.
2023-06-11 15:07:56
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