About 18 books by Angolans, covering different genres of literature of that country, will be presented at the International Book Fair, Cuba 2013, from February 14 to 24.
Works of writers such as Artur Carlos Maurício Pestana dos Santos (Pepetela), Jo úo Melo, António Fonseca, Ana Paula Tavares, Oscar Ribas, Arnaldo Santos, Buenaventura Cardoso, Costa Andrade and Agostinho Neto, will be available to the public, said the critic and Cuban researcher Rodolfo Alpizar.
Some of these authors, living and still in force in Angolan letters, will attend this meeting with the literature, which once completed in Havana will continue its journey through the other regions of the country.
Speaking to the press, Alpizar, who was responsible for the translation into Spanish of several of these texts, said that Angola has a high level literature and many interesting storytellers, as those mentioned above, with important contributions to the culture of their country.
With the decision to dedicate the Fair to Angola, we tried to vary the image of suffering that always accompanies the African continent, while "we will offer the variety and quality of good literature, through a country very close to Cuba", said Alpizar.
This is the first time that the most important literary fair in Cuba is not dedicated to a country in Latin America and Europe, demonstrating the interest for the dialogue with the literature and culture in order to achieve diversity, said Jesus David Curbelo, director of the Cultural Center Dulce Maria Loynaz.
Curbelo, a member of the organizing committee, reported that the public may purchase works by Cuban authors also addressing civil and military cooperation with the African country.
He added that the program of the festival of the book in Cuba includes panels, conferences, symposia and lectures on Angolan literature and presentations of books, a story meeting, a panel of translators and scientific-technical library panel.
The fair will also include spaces for highlighting the work of Cuban historian Pedro Pablo Rodríguez, National Social Science Award, and the Cuban-Uruguayan novelist Daniel Chavarria, National Book Award, the two figures that the International Book Fair will honor in its 22nd edition.
Cuba's national hero, Jose Marti, in the 160th anniversary of his birth, will also have a special role in this edition, reserving meetings between writers for children and young authors from Latin America and the Caribbean.