Last week, from Wednesday to Friday (March 26-28), Xela hosted the 22nd annual International Congress for Central American Literature (Congreso Internacional de Literatura Centroamericana, or CILCA). In the afternoons, when my classes were finished, I walked a few blocks to the Casa de la Cultura and the Casa No'j, the two cultural centers in the Parque Central where the lit fest was held. This year's Congress was dedicated to indigenous poetry, specifically in honor of Humberto Ak'abal, a Mayan poet from Guatemala.
I've been told that Guatemala doesn't really have a strong literary culture. One American who has lived here for several years pointed out to me that the librerias (allegedly, bookstores) in town have a few hundred books but make most of their money on notebooks, pens, and other office/school supplies. She also noted that there aren't any big bookstores in Xela, except for a place that caters almost exclusively to the self-help genre. In contrast, however, this literature festival gave me the impression that Guatemala, and Central American more generally, has an enthusiastic corps of authors, editors, publishers, and readers.
Here's a picture of part of the "bookstore" section of the festival. The doors at the end of the hall open into the room where most of the readings took place.
I've been told that Guatemala doesn't really have a strong literary culture. One American who has lived here for several years pointed out to me that the librerias (allegedly, bookstores) in town have a few hundred books but make most of their money on notebooks, pens, and other office/school supplies. She also noted that there aren't any big bookstores in Xela, except for a place that caters almost exclusively to the self-help genre. In contrast, however, this literature festival gave me the impression that Guatemala, and Central American more generally, has an enthusiastic corps of authors, editors, publishers, and readers.
Here's a picture of part of the "bookstore" section of the festival. The doors at the end of the hall open into the room where most of the readings took place.
On my way back from the book fair, I saw a sign that reminded me of a café chalkboard that my French teacher alerted me to a few months ago (http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/world-europe-25347423). It looks like the Guatemaltecos, like the French, prefer their café con cortesía.
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