Santiago de Cuba, April 17 (RHC)-- The 26th Cuba International Book Fair 2017 has concluded in Santiago de Cuba.  The book fair, which began in Havana in February, has travelled across the island over the past two months.

During the closing ceremony, Juan Rodríguez Cabrera, President of the Cuban Book Institute, reported that 1,084,500 books were purchased by 1,811,629 visitors during the nine weeks of the fair.  He also announced that the next edition will be dedicated to Havana City Historian Eusebio Leal Spengler, while the People’s Republic of China will be welcomed as guest country of honor, bringing its rich culture and arts to the island.

During the closing day of the International Book Fair 2017, a special tribute was carried out to Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro, with the presentation by Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Prieto of "Exequias."  The special, limited edition, was complied by Vicente González Díaz, which is also available in digital format.  The book contains some 166 photos by eight renowned Cuban photographers of the funeral tributes paid to Fidel; including images of Havana’s José Martí Plaza de la Revolución, and the placing of the Comandante’s ashes in the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba.

Regarding this year's fair, the president of the Cuban Book Institute noted that despite supply problems faced by Cuban publishers, the public was able to get their hands on around four million books, between those already in circulation from the previous edition of the fair and the almost three million copies of 746 new books published this year.