If you’re a laid-back lover of all things literary you will probably not relish wrapping your brain around Guadalajara’s humongous and frantic International Book Fair (FIL) and its superabundance of activities.
But neither should you let the FIL’s fearsome size intimidate you away from one of the richest cultural and literary debates and exchanges in the world. And if even that sounds a bit overwhelming, remember that the FIL can be a great deal of fun for visitors of all ages.
First and foremost, accept that you will never be able to sample more than a minuscule portion of what the FIL has to offer. More than 700 hours of programming over nine days are enough to drive an unprepared visitor to the verge of a nervous breakdown. Hence the importance of preparation. Spend as long as possible browsing the FIL’s program HERE. And count yourself lucky if all you’d really like to do is happily wallow among hundreds of thousands of volumes both new and classic (in English and Spanish), browsing and shopping to your heart’s content.