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One more year the Madrid Book Fair opens its doors on the Paseo de Cocheros in the Parque del Buen Retiro to present the latest news as well as the best of literature ever. An unmissable appointment for lovers of reading that offers them the opportunity to interact with their favorite authors. All seasoned with an extensive program of activities that, for several days, promise to delight young and old.
Origin of the Madrid Book Fair
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Since the 1933 Book Fair was born in Madrid, readers from all corners of Spain and the world come every year to the capital to enjoy this endearing celebration in which literature is paid homage.
The one in Madrid is one of the most important Book Fairs in Europe. It was inaugurated at the beginning of the 30s on Paseo de Recoletos but the growing increase in requests for participation from booksellers, publishers and distributors forced a search for a new space.
In this way, the Fair was moved to El Retiro Park in 1967. It is the green lung of Madrid and is the most popular park in the city. Athletes, artists, musicians and families who want to spend an entertaining time walking and enjoying nature come to it every day.
The Madrid Book Fair is located on the Paseo de Cocheros and time has shown the success in choosing this space, today closely linked to this annual event with reading and books.
Start and end of the Book Fair
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This 76th edition will take place between May 26 and June 11 with Portugal as the guest country through the philosopher and intellectual Eduardo Lourenço as representative, who was in charge of opening the Book Fair program with a conference on the 26th.
The importance of the Madrid Book Fair
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Unlike other markets or literary fairs, the Madrid Book Fair is at the same time a cultural lesson and a great business opportunity since it allows the catalog of a large part of the Spanish publishing houses to be made visible for three weeks a year. If in a normal bookstore the reader accesses a selection of titles normally ordered according to gender criteria, the booths of the Book Fair concentrate both the news and the catalog of each publisher.
Accustomed to the best seller fashion, the Madrid Book Fair reminds us that the literary news of the most popular writers are only part of the great existing offer because here you can browse or buy titles that the reader did not even have idea that they existed.
In a society with such easy access to information, every day should be book day. However, the Madrid Book Fair reminds us of the duty of this city to support and promote culture as the capital of Spain that it is.
7 keys to visiting the Madrid Book Fair 2017
Consecrated signatures
Isabel Allende, Fernando Aramburu, Joël Dicker, Camila Läckberg, Enrique Vilas Matas, Dolores Redondo, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Javier Cercas, Almudena Grandes, José Javier Esparza, among many others, will attend the 76th edition of the Book Fair.
Other authors
Other more media and television authors will also be present, such as famous bloggers, youtubers or fashion chefs.
Ecofriendly Book Fair
In this edition, in addition to paying tribute to the Madrid cats on its poster, it wants to commit itself to caring for the environment (after all, it is the Buen Retiro Park where it is celebrated) so that this year, the Alcot group in collaboration with The NGO Plant Trees, 1.200 chapels will be distributed among the visitors of the fair.
Portugal, guest country
With a cultural program that goes from the most avant-garde to the most classic of Portuguese literature and art, Portugal will take the Retiro Park to present its interesting proposals from the hand of twenty-two Portuguese writers and seven other authors from other countries who share this language, as well as sixty guests from other disciplines, such as music and cinema, related to the presence of Portugal at this event. The pavilion of the guest country is entitled "Paths of Portuguese Literature".
Portuguese writers such as Nuno Júdice, Gonçalo M. Tavares, Joao de Melo, Daniel Faria, Alfonso Cruz or Jose Luis Peixoto will be present at the fair beyond Fernando Pessoa, Eça de Queirós, José Saramago and Lobo Antunes, references for different generations of writers.
Wink at poetry
On the occasion of the celebration of the centenary of his birth, the figure of Gloria Fuertes will star in several events during this edition of the Book Fair. Miguel Hernández will also be remembered and Portuguese poetry will have a special space with the bilingual reading of Pessoa's verses.
Children's pavilion
The youngest also have their space reserved at the Book Fair with their own pavilion called «Contar con Portugal», where 58 activities will take place between games and readings. The days of the newspaper will take place in the afternoon while the weekends will take place all day.
Find signatures
With the search engine on the Book Fair website, the visitor can look on the calendar when their favorite writers will sign and go to the booth in search of their autograph.