CUBA, February 5, 2007.- This year's Cuban International Book Fair beginning February 8 will feature more author presentations than ever before, said the vice president of the Cuban Book Institute.

Fernando Leon Jacomino told Granma newspaper that 450 invited writers are expected to present their books at the 16th edition of the fair.
These include Nobel Laureate for Literature Wole Soyinka, and writers Elena Poniatoswka (Mexico), David Vinas (Argentina) and Tariq Ali (Pakistan).

The two largest book stands will offer more than a thousand new titles to be sold during the fair that runs in the capital through to the 18th, before moving on to 40 other Cuban cities and wrapping up in eastern Santiago de Cuba on March 11.

Among the most important side-activities, there are colloquiums on the life and work of poet, essayist and novelist Cesar Lopez, and essayist and researcher Eduardo Torres-Cuevas, this year's honored writers, scheduled to take place on February 9 and 11.

Important international publishing houses will be offering their books at the fair including Ocean Press of Australia, Distribuciones España (Spain), Pathfinder Books (Great Britain), Camara Boliviana del Libro and the Latin American Social Sciences Council of Argentina.

Argentina, the guest of honor, will be presenting 250,000 copies of an anthology of fiction, poetry, children's literature, cartoons and music (tango, folklore and rock). (Cubaminrex-ACN).