8th International Book Fair Underway in Prague
The 8th International Book Fair opened at Prague's Vystaviste exhibition grounds on Thursday, giving close to 500 exhibitors from 28 countries the chance to present their latest publications. Dita Asiedu was at the opening.
"The national participation this year is very high. Almost all active publishers are interested to come here and present what they are doing and to meet readers. Concerning the international participation, this year we have a very big 'Ibero-Americano' space organised by the Spanish Embassy, also 'Francophone Espace', which was organised by the French Institute in Prague and Unipresse and France Edition. As guests of honour, we invited the Visegrad countries to present their literature."
Mr Urban Rusnak, the head of the Visegrad Fund in Bratislava, Slovakia, declared the Visegrad stand officially open, giving readers the opportunity to become familiar with the best and the latest from the bookshelves of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. But besides exploring various publications, visitors can also take part in the 143 events - such as seminars and book signings - that accompany the exhibition. Prizes will also be given out, with the most renowned being the Premia Bohemica prize, which will be awarded to Eero Balk for his outstanding translations of Czech literature into Finnish.
For more from this year's Book Fair, tune in to next week's Arts, where you will be able to hear the full interview with organiser Mrs Dana Kalinova. And in the next Central Europe Today, Dita Asiedu will be looking at literature in the Visegrad countries.
