Havana - Cuban and Chinese authorities open today in this capital the 27th International Book Fair, which will have the Asian country as guest of honor.

Publishers from some 40 nations will converge from February 2 to 11, in the largest editorial event held on the Caribbean island, and more than 400 foreign guests confirmed their attendance at the event.

The 27th edition of the fair will be dedicated to Dr. Eusebio Leal, Havana City Historian and a highly admired researcher throughout Ibero-America.

The president of the Cuban Book Institute, Juan Rodríguez Cabrera, recently stated that some 122 exhibitors from 22 nations will attend the dissimilar spaces of the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, a large cultural and museum complex located at the entrance of Havana harvor.

Of 62 foreign publishers willing to exhibit works, institutions from Peru, Spain and Panama stand out with the largest number of representatives.

According to the organizers, the event will be held in 22 sub-venues in parallel to the main venue (at the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress), due to its broad academic, artistic and literary program, impossible to assemble people in a single site.

The International Book Fair is the major event in the Cuban publishing sector and the most agglutinating cultural space in the country.

Colloquiums, tributes, lectures, readings, launching of books, awarding ceremonies, screenings of film and performing arts exhibitions, displays and concerts, make up the vast program of the event.