Guillermo Arriaga, screenwriter of 'Amores Perros,' to attend 30th FIL La Paz

Mexican screenwriter and novelist Guillermo Arriaga, celebrated for his work on the film 'Amores Perros,' is confirmed to participate in the 30th La Paz International Book Fair (FIL). Arriaga will present his latest novel, 'El Hombre,' published in 2025.

Arriaga, recognized for his visceral and raw narrative style, previously won the Alfaguara Novel Prize in 2020 for his novel 'Salvar el fuego.' The 30th FIL La Paz is scheduled to take place from July 29 to August 9 at the Campo Ferial Chuquiago Marka. Arriaga is slated to appear on August 4 in the FIL La Paz Main Hall.

His new novel, 'El Hombre,' is set in the 19th-century United States during its expansion. The story follows Henry Lloyd, a man of unknown origin who arrives to work on a plantation. He marries the owner's daughter but lives in fear of a character named Jack Barley, with whom the novel begins in 1815 on the U.S.-Vermont border with Canada.

Arriaga described his writing process as driven by exploration rather than strict planning. "The novels I write, I don't plan them," he stated. "I see a forest and I go in... and I have no idea where I'm going to end up." His literary career includes acclaimed novels such as 'Escuadrón Guillotina' (1991), 'Un dulce olor a muerte' (1994), 'El búfalo de la noche' (2000), and 'Salvar el fuego' (2020). In film, he collaborated with Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu on '21 Grams' (2004) and 'Babel' (2006).

The participation of Arriaga is organized by the Mexican Embassy in Bolivia, the Bolivian Cinematheque, and the Chamber of Commerce of the Book of La Paz. The event will also feature other international figures, including Amaury Colmenares from Mexico, Chary Gumeta, journalist Bruno Patino from France, writer Gisela Heffes from the United States, and poet Eduardo Espina from Uruguay, among more than 30 distinguished guests.