Italian officials said 61 authors and 33 publishers will participate in the Guadalajara program under a theme inspired by legendary Italian author Umberto Eco to mark the tenth anniversary of his death: “The world speaks to us like a great book.”

By Andrew Richard Albanese, Editor-in-Chief

At an event last week at the Palazzo della Farnesina in Rome, Italy officially unveiled its Guest of Honor program for the 40th Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), set to run from November 28 to December 6.

“Italy’s participation as Guest of Honor at the Guadalajara International Book Fair represents an important recognition and a strategic opportunity to strengthen the presence of Italian publishing in the Spanish-speaking Americas, the leading cultural sector of our country,” said Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, in a statement. “Promoting Italian books abroad is a fundamental tool of growth diplomacy: every translated work helps enhance our cultural identity and our exports,” he added it, calling the Fair “an outstanding showcase” that would help Italy strengthen “cultural and historical ties with Mexico and the entire Latin American region.”

In a release, Italian officials said 61 authors will participate in the literary program at Guadalajara under a theme inspired by legendary Italian author Umberto Eco to mark the tenth anniversary of his death: “The world speaks to us like a great book.” In addition, reps said the Italian Pavilion will feature “33 publishers, a bookshop area dedicated to Italian books in their original language and in Spanish translation, ten exhibitions, nine concerts, and events focusing on gastronomy, cinema, design, and academic exchanges.”

This will be the second time Italy will be Guest of Honor at the fair, after featuring in Guadalajara in 2008.

Celebrating its 40th edition this year, the Guadalajara International Book Fair is considered world’s most important fair for the Spanish-language book market, drawing nearly a million visitors every year, and attracting more than 800 writers, 18,000 publishing professionals, and some 2,800 publishing houses from over 60 countries. The fair is also one of the leading international markets for the trading of Spanish-language publishing rights.

‘An Important Fair for Italian Publishing’

Among the dignitaries joining Tajani at the announcement in Rome were FIL President José Trinidad Padilla Lopez, FIL Director Marisol Schulz, Mexico’s Ambassador to Italy Genaro Lozano, AIE President Innocenzo Cipolletta, and Italian Trade Agency Director General Lorenzo Galanti.

“Italy’s participation as Guest of Honor represents a significant moment for the Guadalajara International Book Fair, which celebrates its 40th edition in 2026,” emphasized FIL Director Marisol Schulz. “It is a country with an extraordinarily rich literary and publishing tradition, whose influence has been decisive in shaping Western thought, the arts, and culture, while also boasting a vibrant, diverse, and constantly evolving contemporary scene.”

Indeed, AIE President Innocenzo Cipolletta said the Italian program aims to showcase “the full richness” of the Italian publishing industry in what he said was an increasingly important cultural marketplace.

“Guadalajara is a particularly important fair for Italian publishing because the Spanish language is its largest export market for translation rights, accounting for 15% of all rights sales made in 2024,” Cipolletta said. “We want these figures to continue growing as part of the broader international expansion that our country has pursued successfully for more than 20 years: since 2001, translation rights sales worldwide have increased fivefold.”

In his remarks, Galanti also emphasized Italy’s desire to grow its literary exports.

“Our presence at FIL 2026 represents the high point of [the Italian Trade Agency’s] promotional strategy for Italian publishing, which in 2026 includes participation in seven international book fairs and was preceded by a series of visits by Mexican publishing professionals to Italian publishing houses, organized with AIE in June 2026,” Galanti said, adding that calling “internationalization” a strategic imperative for the sector’s development.

The event concluded with a conversation between FIL Director Marisol Schulz and two writers from the delegation traveling to Guadalajara in November—Olga Campofreda and Viola Ardone (you can watch their discussion here: the conversation begins at the 51-minute mark).

The press kit and all related materials for the Italian program are available here.