Between Reality and Imagination. Madrilenian Writers, Book Sellers and (Independent) Publishers at the Guadalajara International Book Fair 2017

Abstract

The strategic importance of modern book fairs goes beyond Book Studies, encouraging new perspectives and border crossing analyses. Therefore, and informed by an intensive fieldwork at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL Guadalajara) in 2017, this essay deals with the performative nature of cultural products, speeches, and representations. In so doing, I shall first examine the relationship between literature, heritage, and tourism through the lens of literary journals available at the fair. Then, building bridges between existing lines of research and informed by ongoing debates in the field, I shall highlight the entanglements between politics, publishing industry and marketplace imperatives through the lens of Spanish independent publishers.