LITERATURE-CUBA: Kid’s Books Star at Havana Fair

By Patricia Grogg Reprint | | Print |

Patricia Grogg

HAVANA, Feb 9 2000 (IPS) - Children’s literature has been the hardest hit by the economic crisis, sharply cutting back Cuba’s publishing activity, but it has been given the seat of honour at this year’s international book fair in the island’s capital, promoted as the ideal stage for exchanges between local and foreign publishing houses.

“The Adventures of Pinocchio,” by Italy’s Carlos Collodi (1826- 1890) and illustrated by Cuban painter Roberto Fabelo, was launched when the fair began Feb 9, alongside “The Adventures of Elpidio Valdés,” a popular character created by Cuba’s Juan Padrón, and several titles by Emilio Salgari, among many others.

“We have long held this debt to children, as far as literature is concerned,” Jorge Luna, president of the Cuban Chamber of Books, told IPS. He added that some 30 countries are participating in the ninth Havana book show, including 90 publishers from Italy alone.

A total of nearly 300 new titles will be launched by the fair’s closing, reported the organisers of an event that was anxiously awaited by the Cuban public. During the island nation’s better economic years, they grew accustomed to having the best of the world’s literature available to them at very low cost.

Italy is participating as an “honoured guest” at the fair, which lasts until Feb 15, because of the country’s “growing publishing, cultural and friendship ties” with Cuba.

As a result, internationally recognised Italian publishing houses are at the fair, including Einaudi, Mondadori, Longanesi, Bonecchi and Feltrinelli, reported Luna.

Also underway are workshops involving editors and academics, graphics exhibitions, a cinema showing, and performances by Italian artists on various Havana stages.

After this year’s event, the International Book Fair of Havana will alter its biannual frequency and host the event every February, which will allow “a more consistent insertion of Cuban books in the demanding and competitive international circuit of fairs and conferences,” explained Luna.

Fair organisers hope to keep the event at its current location, the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fort, a structure from the 18th century that formed part of the Spanish Crown’s defence system to protect its “most beloved Caribbean jewel.”

It is part of an architectural complex that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has declared a World Heritage of Humanity site.

“We seek to harmoniously link books with the historical and cultural aspects of this place,” added the Chamber director, for who the book fair is a “shop window on the country’s publishing production” and favours the exchange of ideas between Cuban and foreign companies.

Alongside the booksellers from Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, several countries from the English-speaking Caribbean and Africa are also displaying their wares.

Luna indicated that at this event “one can discover publishers that are not found at other fairs.” Such is the case for Africa, which has a pavillion for South Africa alone, and another group of 46 publishers originating from Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Among the expositioners are publishing houses from Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Great Britian and Spain, the country to which the International Book Fair 2001 will be dedicated. The United Nations also has a space, with publications from its various agencies.

“This type of cultural event allows one to more easily approach our literature and weaves the Cuban book into the publishing world of other countires, some of which have greater technological development in the area,” Luna affirmed.

Until the 1980s, the transactions carried out at these fairs were based primarily on exchanges with the socialist countries of the time, who were also Cuba’s principal economic partners.

In the 1990s, after the disappearnce of the socialist bloc, the principal objective of the Havana book fair has been to seek out co-operation alternatives, joint publishing ventures and combined operations between Cuban businesses and the industrialised North.

The Cuban publishing industry was hit hard by the economic recession that swept over the island beginning nearly a decade ago. Titles 10 years ago came out in editions of 20,000 or 30,000 copies, but now reach just 2,500 or 3,000.

Omar González, president of the Cuban Institute of Books (ICL), clarified that though today an average of 3,000 books are published per title, there are also productions as high as 150,000, as was the case of “The Little Prince” by France’s Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and “The Golden Age” by Cuban José Martí (1853-1895).

González stressed that one trait of current publishing is that the number of titles has gone up, while the number of copies has fallen. “Throughout the world, it is common for first editions to vary between 2,000 and 3,000 copies,” he affirmed.

In this sense, he acknowledged that Cuba has a deficit as far as titles, but “we are working to create a wider variety” and respond to the desires of the reader.

Cuba has some 80 publishing houses, many of which have opted for joint projects with foreign firms in order to reactivate their production, albeit slowly. Overseas publishers are anxiously sought out in this year’s fair that promises more than 900 titles and 300,000 copies to be sold using Cuban currency.

A common complaint heard among people accustomed to having good reading material readily available is that, following the authorisation of the dollar’s free circulation in the country, one has to look for good literature in the the informal market.

“I hope to buy several books for my children, as organisers promised modest prices,” said María Valdés, a history teacher who arrived at the fair aboard the special public transport system connecting central Havana to the Cabaña Fort, located at one end of the bay.

Before the economic crisis, the average price of a Cuban book was 80 cents on the Cuban peso, but currently a title by a Cuban author reaches 10 pesos. On the official market, 10 pesos is the equivalent of 10 dollars.