This Thursday is the official opening, but the day before it was already packed

Left behind was the controversy by absence of the Ministry of Culture of the Nation in the 48th Buenos Aires International Book Fair with its own stand. The crossings were left behind a saving of 300 million pesos, which was actually 80 million and which the province of Buenos Aires ended up paying to occupy that prominent space. The reproaches of the El Libro Foundation were left behind because the secretary Leonardo Cifelli I didn’t receive them. And even behind was the announcement that the official would be at the opening of the exhibition, followed by the other announcement to the contrary: I would not go although President Javier Milei will be there the 12th of May. This Thursday the most attractive cultural exhibition of Argentina open your doors and everything will be celebration. Of course: without money.

Opening to the public will be at 14 and the opening ceremony will begin At 18. Once again, the headquarters is The Rural, in Palermo. On Wednesday, During the Professional Conference, there was already an intense presence of the public at the venue.

Without the presence of Cifelli and the more than likely rejections of the policies of cuts and defunding in the area of ​​culture, the inauguration ceremony will have the tone of civilized reproach every year. Sometimes the chosen author may take a more cautionary tone, as was the case with Guillermo Saccomanno in 2022. In other editions, the author brings social demands, as she did Claudia Pineiro in 2018 (and after the boos of then-minister Pablo Avelluto), who after his beautiful speech, raised the green scarf of the National Campaign for the Right to Legal, Safe and Free Abortion. This year it will be the turn of Liliana Heker and it is to be hoped that Don’t be complacent, but don’t be violent either..

Expectations are not good. The president of the El Libro Foundation, Alejandro Vaccaroalready said it ten days ago: “Unfortunately, this edition is going to take place in a complex context. The situation is difficult for 90% of the population. The sales results of one of the main large book marketing chains show a drop of 20 to 30% in January, February and March. The Fair is not going to escape that. It will be a Fair with difficulties”, he anticipated.

Furthermore, the head of the organizing entity acknowledged that “many people You won’t be able to buy a book”.

So all that remains is to explore the more than 45,000 square meters and look (more than buy) in addition to listening to guest authors. This year the exhibition will hardly be able to attract the more than one million visitors of the last editions.

The Fair can be visited Every day of the week. From Monday to Friday, it will be open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. while on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesday, May 1, it will operate from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. A special day will be Saturday April 27: As the Night of the Fair is celebrated, the hours will be from 1:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m.

In this edition, Lisbon will be the Guest City of Honor. The capital of Portugal has set out to seduce the Argentine public and, with that objective, will adorn its role in the 48th Buenos Aires International Book Fair with the best of its rich cultural heritage.

Starting April 25, the city will deploy both on the La Rural property and throughout the citya notable presence of its best authors and illustrators, a film series in the Leopoldo Lugones Rooma concert in the Art Factory and other performances at the stand and two exhibitions sponsored by the Saramago Foundation and Casa Fernando Pessoa.

The entourage of more than twenty writers that will arrive from the other side of the Atlantic is headed by the narrator and essayist Lidia Jorge (Boliqueime, 1946) multi-award-winning author whose name cyclically sounds like a candidate for the award Nobel Prize for Literature.

Like the opening of the Fair coincides with the 50th commemoration of the Carnation Revolutionwhich put an end to almost half a century of dictatorship in 1974 and which Portugal will celebrate in style, this Thursday they will not be present here nor the mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, nor his Secretary of Culture, Diogo Mourawho however will arrive in the following days and sent greetings by video.

In addition to Lidia Jorge, new and established authors will arrive to seduce the reading public of Argentina. Among them we must not lose track of Francisco José Viegas, creator of fast-paced police films; the notable Bruno Vieira Amaralwith an uncomfortable work on the margins of the system; Isabel Stilwell, best-seller historical novel; and the fascinating Isabela Figueiredowhose Colonial memoirs notebook (Libros del Asteroid) marked a before and after in Lisbon narrative. The list is just to begin.

To visit the Fair, You will have to pay an entry fee of $3,500 from Monday to Thursday (except Wednesday, May 1) while Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, the income will be $5,000. There is also the option of purchasing a three-day pass on the website for $7,500. This pass is personal and non-transferable, and allows only one visit per day to the Fair.

Furthermore, the Fair will offer benefits For each entry: the visitor who purchases a ticket (for any day) or pass (valid for three visits) will receive a checkbook of 4,000 pesos to use in participating bookstores once the Fair ends, as detailed on the official website.

For its part, each entry will be accompanied by vouchers discount (or coupons) that can be used to purchase books at the Fair stands for the same amount paid upon entry. Tickets of 3,500 pesos will have 3 vouchers of 1,000 and one of 500 pesos. Tickets of 5,000 pesos and passes will have 5 vouchers of 1,000 pesos. Each voucher equivalent to 500 or 1,000 pesos can be used to cover up to 10% of the payment on purchases of 10,000 pesos or more than that amount. They are cumulative vouchers: for the purchase of a book of 20,000 pesos, 2,000 pesos can be deducted in two vouchers of 1,000.

If in addition to entering it is intended eat something or park a cara typical family will need much more than 50 thousand pesos and this without buying a single book. If in April and May 2023, paying for a new item required between 6,000 and 8,000 pesos, the 2024 wallet requires 15 thousand pesos for the cheap titles and more than 40 thousand, the most expensive.

Nor will visits from abroad be outstanding because, as you know, there is no money. In the local team, they will say present the diva of terror Mariana Enríquezthe narrator and academic Martin Kohanthe novelists Claudia Piñeiro, Luciano Lamberti, Eduardo Sacheri, Florencia Bonelli, Sylvia Iparraguirre and Luis Gusmánto whom the writers join Tamara Tenembaum and Guillermo Martínezamong many others.

The journalists and experts They will also carry their books: the psychologist Gabriel Rolonthe communicator Thomas Rebordthe actress Celeste Cidwho published a collection of poems weeks ago, the philosopher Dario SztajnszrajberThe chronicler Facundo Pastorthe illustrator Miguel Rep and the journalist Laura DiMarcothey will meet their readers.

And the politicians will be no less: Milei will occupy the center court of La Rural, while the former candidate Sergio Massa He already announced that he will present his book and Miguel Pichetto, Rafael Bielsa and Martin Lousteau They will accompany Jorge Argüello to talk about its launch.

From the abroad, there are several authors who are boarding for Buenos Aires. The French novelist David Foenkinosthe Ecuadorian Monica Ojedathe Chilean Diamela Eltit and the Peruvian poet Mario Montalbetti. The Colombian will also be there Daniel Ferreirawhat with Rebellion of the useless jobs won the Clarín Novel Prize in Argentina; the peruvian Alina Gadea; the chilean poet Carmen Garcia.

The list is much longer, but it is impossible not to mention the Spanish Elvira Sastre, which has a large readership here; and the famous German editor Michi Strausfeldwho introduced Latin American and Spanish literature to his country.