The 14^th edition of Costa Rica’s International Book Fair in 2013 will feature a couple of surprises. The most significant is that it will finally offer free admission to the public thanks to a resolution by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Athletics to provide more than 50 million colones (about $100,000) for the fair. In the past, the International Book Fair in Costa Rica had been a largely commercial affair, which is why the Ministry’s involvement was limited.

This year’s fair promises to be different in many ways. At the entrance of the fair, which will take place at the Antigua Aduana (Old Customs) building in the northeastern quadrant of San Jose, people will be able to appreciate a sculpture that aims to “set books free.” This is part of an initiative to encourage people to leave the fair with a book in their hands, and for this purpose the organizers are coordinating book donations, exchanges and promotions to ensure that there are always free or low-cost books for all visitors.

Mexico is Costa Rica’s Guest of Honor

Now that the Ministry of Culture is providing support, the book fair will take on a festival-like atmosphere. There will be films, concerts, theater plays, and photography exhibition. More than 45 writers and artists from Mexico will participate in special events and workshops. In the last few years, Mexico has provided important contributions to literature and film, which is the reason artists from that North American nation are Costa Rica’s special guests for this year’s book fair. In addition to our Mexican guests, 25 writers from Chile, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and other countries will also attend.

There will be more than 90 exhibition booths at the fair, which will feature books of all kinds and for different audiences. There will be 6,000 books just from Mexican publishers; altogether there will be more than 40,000 books to explore and enjoy. Budding writers will be able to talk to industry insiders, and children will have their own play spaces.

Past editions of the International Book Fair in Costa Rica focused too much on the commercial aspect of the publishing industry, which resulted in certain interests taking advantage of the event. In 2010, for example, the best-selling author at the 2010 book fair was L. Ron Hubbard of Dianetics and Scientology fame, which just happened to coincide with a push by that religion into Costa Rica.

This year’s International Book Fair is only aligned with the joy of reading, and it begins at 10:00 am on August 23^rd until September 1^st.

Source: Radio Columbia