This year’s programme featured participation of two renowned Ukrainian authors, Halyna Kruk and Nataliya Snyadanko in a total of four events, as well as a presentation of a book co-authored by Yurii Polyukhovych – a Ukrainian scholar of Maya civilization and an Ambassador to Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. 

Nataliya and Halyna both reflected on women’s writing in times of conflict in the conversation “Experience, Narrative, and Resilience”, joined by Mexican writer and journalist Ana Clavel. Nataliya Snyadanko also joined the conversation “Fiction, Tension and Memory” alongside Spanish writer Javier Cercas and moderated by Francisco André, Ambassador of the European Union in Mexico. Together, they reflected on the reconstruction of memory and the role of fiction in narrating history during times of conflict. 

Another event offered visitors a profound encounter with life in wartime through the poetry of Halyna Kruk. Her poems – exploring memory, loss, and resilience – was read in Ukrainian by the author herself and in Spanish by Mexican poet and writer Mario Bojórquez. 

Finally, Nataliya Snyadanko joined the annual “Ecos de la FIL” programme, and visited a school in the state of Jalisco to speak with high-school students about her experience writing about Ukraine and giving the country visibility through her work. 

In addition, the fair included the presentation of a book “Monumentos escultóricos de Palenque” (Sculptural monuments of Palenque), co-authored by Yurii Polyukhovych – a Ukrainian scholar of Maya civilization and an Ambassador to Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.  

Last year, the Guadalajara International Book Fair welcomed more than 900,000 visitors. Participation in an event of this scale provides Ukraine with an important opportunity to share its stories with diverse audiences and to foster meaningful cultural exchange with Latin America.