Brodart Español Team Travels to Peru

Peru held its 10th annual International book Fair this year from July 21st to the 30th in new digs this year with an eye to increasing domestic access to literature, combating piracy and increasing foreign sales.

Brodart's Collection Development Specialist, Laura Bejarano, attended with the goal of negotiating reasonably priced shipping methods for continued importation of Peruvian books, as well as identifying the newest Peruvian writers.

The classics of Jose Maria Arguedas and Cesar Vallejo were, of course, well represented at the fair, as were the newest works of Peru's current best-selling authors, including Alfredo Bryce Echenique, Mario Vargas Llosa and Jaime Bayle. Laura Bejarano says that the fair is most valuable for becoming acquainted with authors whose works are just beginning to spill across Peru’s border. Among their ranks are Alonso Cueto and Abelardo Sánchez León.

As in all of Latin America's International Book Fairs, the crop of visiting writers was impressive. Mexico’s Carlos Monsivais (whose own classic, Amor Perdido, was just re-issued by Editorial ERA) was among the featured guests. Nancy Morejón from Cuba not only presented her own work; she also participated in one of the more interesting round table discussions, “Mujer que sabe Latín, no se casa ni tiene buen fin?”

One of Brodart's objectives at the fair was to prepare for the upcoming Guadalajara Book Fair in November, where Peru will be the invited country. Laura's job consisted of arranging for the databases of each publisher who will display titles there, so we can prepare for purchases and shipping before we take off in November for the annual pilgrimage many of us have been making to Mexico.

While the book fair reminded us all that there is much work to be done in all of our countries to make literacy a reality and literature available to all, we could witness the great progress being made by the Peruvians in these endeavors.