This well-known distributor of books in Spanish in the US, shares her impressions of Liber 2013, in anticipation of her upcoming book exhibit at the New York’s Instituto Cervantes on October 28th & 29th.
LIBER 2013 was a little quieter than usual, with a little less hubbub than any self-respecting publisher would have liked. Despite the somewhat hushed atmosphere, we still found a huge range of newly-published books and came back with some real treasures.
Let me just note a few of the publishers and specific books which stood out. It is not possible to touch on all, in this small space, but I will give you some highlights.
Mestas, who previously promoted inexpensive editions of world literature in translation, now has created an attractive collection of over 40 self-help titles. These were very popular with the librarians from the U.S. One new and exciting title is the biography of Malala, the young girl attacked by the Taliban simply because she insisted on going to school. This book was released simultaneously in many world languages on October 8. Anaya published the book in Spanish. One new publisher, Lata de Sal, is only 6 months old with a mere 7 titles in its portfolio. They are bringing translations of classic American picture books to the market. A pop-up book on oceans, OCEANOS, reveals the inside of a clamshell, of an oyster, and of many other creatures of the sea. It is executed with supreme artistry and was the hit of the display at SM. Zorro Rojo published a picture book from India, exquisitely told and illustrated by a young Indian woman, sure to encourage discussion of art and culture amongst its readers.
One surprising new adult title comes from a little-known publisher, Marge Books. It is a collection of personal stories by transvestites. And Popular presents an extensive collection of books on the culture of China, fully illustrated and highly accessible to the average reader. And their large print collection has been fully revamped with larger lettering and more artistic cover art.
The list goes on, but space runs out.
I hope you are intrigued by now. And if you are, you can see these books FIRST HAND in the U.S.A. next week. Yes, all of the above-mentioned materials, plus hundreds more, will be on display OCTOBER 28 and OCTOBER 29 at the Instituto Cervantes. There, in collaboration with the Instituto, The Bilingual Publications Company will be presenting highlights of LIBER 2013 (feel free to reques the list of book selections and we will email it to you). The exhibit is designed for librarians, but all are welcome. Open hours are 9 AM to 5 PM. The address is 211 E. 49th Street, New York, New York. Please phone in advance to indicate your interest. (212) 431-3500. Or email Linda Goodman at bilingualspanish@gmail.com
