FILBo is back! Here’s what FILBo 2022 has in store for visitors

Corferias will be full of books, authors, and a celebration of all things literary in FILBo 2022.

FILBo – the Feria Internacional del Libro de Bogotá – is back in person after two virtual editions during the pandemic. With over 1,600 events planned in Corferias and over 100 in other parts of the city, it promises to be a literary smorgasbord.

This year over 500 guests from 30 different countries will take to various stages in the convention centre. Korea is the country of honour, marking 60 years since the start of diplomatic relations between Colombia and Korea.

Korea is this year’s guest country

The guest of honor this year is Korea. That means we’re in for a good dose of Korean literature, as well as a hefty K-pop presence. There’ll be a Korean pavilion and over 20 guests, including former UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon. Other participants include authors, translators, calligraphers, graphic designers, and various other key figures. There’s also a Korean film season at the Centro Cultural Gabriel García Márquez. Colombia will be the guest of honor at the Seoul Book Fair in June.

The theme of the Korean pavilion is coexistence. The idea is to explore the coexistence between people, nations, humanity, and nature. “That the central theme is coexistence is very appropriate given the current circumstances in which the whole world is suffering from the new calamity,” said the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Colombia, H.E. Choo Jong Youn. “Now the world is closely intertwined by interdependence. Therefore, concepts like state egoism or extreme nationalism cannot survive anymore. We have to find a way to live together.”

What to expect from this year’s Feria del Libro

You can download the full program from the FILBo website. But with so many different activities, planning your visit can be a bit daunting. The online Agéndate tool helps, especially as you can add events that might be of interest to your personalised plan. Broadly speaking, there’ll be events to suit most tastes, and it’s worth going even if you’re not terribly bookish.

If you’ve never been before, you can expect huge pavilions packed with bookstores and other stands, huge queues for popular events (and even some unpopular ones), fun spaces and activities for children, food stalls, coffee stops, and more. Also, be aware that the schedule can change, so double check the info if there’s someone you’re super keen to see. Looking through the program, here are some of the themes that jump out:

Gender politics and identity
Music
Graphic novels and illustrations
Biodiversity
Impact of the pandemic
Conflict and human rights
Role of art and language

The ministry of culture is also launching a digital library which gives free access to pdfs of a number of books.

International guests

In addition to Korea, there’ll be speakers from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Korea, Cuba, Spain, the United States, France, Holland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Romania, United Kingdom, El Salvador, and Venezuela.

There’ll be many well-known Colombian faces there, some of whom will be familiar from previous years. These include Brigitte Baptiste, William Ospina, Piedad Bonnett, Diana Uribe, Laura Restrepo, and Chocquibtown’s Goya.

While much of the event is in person, watch out for a virtual appearance by Isabelle Allende. She’ll be discussing her most recent book, Violeta, as well as broader themes such as love, and dictatorships. It’s hard to pick just one or two names from the international guests, as much depends on your personal tastes, but it’s worth watching out for J.J. Benitez, Mircea Cartarescu, Anne Boyer, and many more. Canadian anthropologist Wade Davis, author of Magdalena, historias de Colombia will discuss his book with Carlos Vives in what could be an unusual but interesting pairing.