The 'Overflowing Creativity' of Spain conquers the public at the Calcutta Book Fair

· Spain closed this Sunday with great success its participation as Main Thematic Country in the 46th Calcutta International Book Fair, the largest in the world in influx of public

· More than 200,000 people visited the Spanish pavilion made with sustainable materials, epicenter of the literary, cultural and professional program that Spain has brought to India

· Mario Obrero, Ismael Ramos, Maria Sevilla, Agustín Fernández Mallo, Luis García Montero, Anna Caballé, Carla Berrocal and Olga de Dios, among others, gave talks, workshops and interviews

· The Ministry of Culture and Sports has donated the more than 500 cultural books and magazines on display to universities with Spanish departments

Last Sunday, February 12, Spain closed its participation as Thematic Country in the 46th Calcutta International Book Fair, the first in the world in terms of visitors, reaping a resounding success among publishing professionals and the general public. More than 200,000 people came to the pavilion, the epicenter of the literary, cultural and professional program designed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in India, the Cervantes Institute, the Federation of Publishers Guilds of Spain, Spanish Cultural Action and Turespaña.

The Spanish participation in Calcutta has meant a new step in the internationalization strategy of our literature, in all its genres and in all the languages of the State. Throughout 14 days, more than 80 activities have been carried out in which established writers have participated, new voices on the literary scene in Spain, as well as Hispanists, authors and Indian translators. Mario Obrero, Ismael Ramos, Maria Sevilla, Agustín Fernández Mallo, Luis García Montero, Anna Caballé, Carla Berrocal and Olga de Dios, among others, gave talks, workshops and interviews in a 300-square-meter pavilion built with sustainable materials with the support of of Spanish Cultural Action (AC/E).

The programming, which paid homage to classics of our letters such as Miguel de Cervantes and Federico García Lorca, also paid attention to other cultural manifestations such as cinema, music, gastronomy and art, in addition to promoting various professional meetings.

In his closing speech, the deputy director general for the Promotion of Spanish Books, Reading and Letters, Jesús González, pointed out that "our commitment with this edition of the Fair is that the seeds we have planted these days continue to germinate in the future". . Also present at the closing ceremony were the director of the Instituto Cervantes in New Delhi, Óscar Pujol, and the secretaries of the Spanish Embassy in India, Alfonso Pérez-Hernández and Helena Escorial.

Bet on the internationalization of the book
Expanding the presence and visibility of Spain in India, showing a modern and avant-garde country, committed to equality for women, freedom and progress, were some of the objectives of the Spanish participation in this fair in Calcutta. The Ministry of Culture and Sport thus continues with the book internationalization strategy, which began in 2019, and which reached its peak at the last Frankfurt Book Fair, the most important in the sector.
A strategy that will continue with the upcoming participation of Spain as a Guest at the San Diego, California International Comic Convention (Comic-Con), to be held in July. In 2024, Spain will be the Guest Country of Honor at the International Book Fair in Guadalajara, Mexico, and in 2025 at the International Book Fair in Bogotá, Colombia.

A legacy of more than 500 books
The General Director of Books and Reading Promotion, María José Gálvez, took advantage of her presence at this Fair to subscribe the donation of the more than 500 cultural books and magazines exhibited in the Spanish pavilion during these 14 days to a series of universities that have with Spanish departments: Amity University Kolkata, Sister Nivedita University, Neotia University, Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan School and Rabindra Bharati University.