INTERNATIONAL BELGRADE BOOK FAIR OPENS ITS DOORS TO LITERATURE LOVERS

The International Belgrade Book Fair has opened its doors to literature lovers, and over its nine days, more than 400 exhibitors from both the country and abroad, including publishers and authors from the Republic of Srpska, will be featured.

PHOTO: RTRS

The fair, themed this year as "The Word is Free," will be inaugurated by Milena Marković, an award-winning poet, playwright, and screenwriter, as well as a professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade.

This year’s guest of honor is Cuba, which will showcase its tradition and cultural diversity, featuring works of scientists, writers, poets, and artists. Representing Cuba at the opening ceremony will be Miguel Barnet, a storyteller, poet, and anthropologist who has received numerous national and international literary awards for his books, poems, and chronicles.

The Republic of Srpska will also participate, showcasing 134 titles in 47 promotions. Srpska’s program will be officially opened on Monday at 12 PM in the ceremonial hall of the Administrative Building of the Belgrade Fair.

Publishers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Greece, Italy, Iran, Congo, Morocco, Germany, Romania, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine (for the first time), Croatia, and Montenegro will also be present at the fair.

Guests from abroad include Tony Parsons (United Kingdom), Nataša Rogelja (Slovenia), and David Unger (Guatemala/USA).

The Book Fair will feature the largest domestic and many international publishers and authors. During the nine days of the fair, readers will have the opportunity to purchase books from both local and international publishers at fair prices, including timeless classics of Serbian and world literature, as well as antiquarian books.

A rich accompanying program will take place in presentation halls and at exhibitor stands. Audiences will be able to attend various discussions, forums, and book promotions.

Dozens of forums will be organized throughout the nine days of the fair, focusing on different topics dedicated to domestic and foreign poetry and prose, translation, critical and theoretical thought, publishing, new book formats, and piracy in the digital environment.

As part of the 67th International Belgrade Book Fair, several traditional awards will be presented, including Publisher of the Year, Publishing Venture of the Year, Children’s Book of the Year, Award for Publisher from the Diaspora and Region in the Serbian Language, Special Recognition for Contributions to Science, Special Recognition for a Publisher, Book, or Comic, the "Bogdan Kršić" Award for the Most Beautiful Book, the Most Beautiful Children's Book Award, and a Special Recognition for Young Designers.

For younger visitors, the section "A Thousand Whys" will offer a program of children's and youth literature. In the "Jovan Jovanović Zmaj" hall, children will participate in workshops where Serbia's most esteemed children’s authors will teach them how to write poems or stories.

The section dedicated to poetry, titled "Songs of the Sun," inspired by the poetry collection of Jovan Dučić, will take place in the "Vasko Popa" hall, featuring poets from different generations.

The section "Atlas under the Sky" is named after a novel by the late writer and academic Goran Petrović, and it will present Serbian writers and foreign guests.

The program "Suspicious Character," named after the comedy by Branislav Nušić, whose 160th birth anniversary is being marked, will feature forums discussing literary and ideological issues, as well as the use and misuse of artificial intelligence in translation and the role of the internet in literary criticism.

As is tradition, the Book Fair will also host School Day on Thursday, October 24, aimed at organized visits by students, teachers, school librarians, university students, and professors. Family Day will be held on Monday and Tuesday, October 21 and 22, when entire families can visit the event with just one purchased ticket.

The Book Fair will be open daily from 10 AM to 8 PM. In addition, the 53rd Education and Teaching Aids Fair will also be held at the Belgrade Fair.