62. BELGRADE BOOK FAIR

Date: 18-10-2017

The best attended fair in Serbia is the International book fair, as it draws 200.000 visitors each year. This year the fair will begin on Oct, 22. and will last until Oct, 29. It is the 62. edition of Belgrade book fair, which represents the continuation of a long book fair tradition, as the first book exhibition in Belgrade was held in 1863.

Usually, one country is awarded a special place, as a guest of book fair, but this time four countries are given the honor, as the guest is this time a language and not a country, the language being German and the countries being Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. More than 1000 books representing the new German literature will be brought to the fair, some of them already translated into Serbian, some in English, and some in the language they were originally written in. Among these 1000 books, more than 350 will appear in Serbia for the first time.

Special guests: Carl Markus Gauss and Nobel Prize winner Herta Muller

The honor of opening the fair will fall to Austrian writer Carl Markus Gauss. As one of the most influential essayists in Europe, Gauss is mostly interested in topics of culture and minorities, and especially for the life of the peoples of Central Europe and Southeastern Europe, and for the life of small minorities in this region. Gauss is the editor of a literary magazine Literatur und Kritik, as well as the author of more than 20 books and the recipient of numerous awards.

Among the fair’s guests is also a Nobel Prize winner Herta Muller, a German-Romanian writer. She will be the guest of a literary evening in the Yugoslav drama theater on Oct, 23, as well as the guest of the fair. She was awarded the Nobel prize in 2009. for her work of bringing the life under communism closer to the readers in the West. Being a member of the German minority in Romania, she grew up in that country, and was vocal in the opposition to the Ceausesku regime. Among other famous writers appearing in Belgrade are also Eugene Vodolazkin and Marcel Beyer.

Publishers from around the world, many accompanying events

Exhibitors will have 30.000 square meters on their disposal, covering the three biggest halls of Belgrade fair. Visitors will have the opportunity to see another fair in the same venue in the same time – Education and media fair. Returning to the Belgrade book fair, more than 450 exhibitors confirmed their arrival to the fair, 60 of that number being publishers from countries other than Serbia. Beside the main event, the audience will be given the opportunity to see many smaller manifestations which are the part of Belgrade book fair, such as “Literature of the Mediterranean” and “Echoes of Serbian literature”.

Ticket price is 250 RSD (2 Eur), while a group ticket is just 150RDS. The fair will be opened for public on Oct. 22. in 10 AM. If you plan to visit Belgrade during the Book fair, Sky Apartments can offer you the accommodation which will suit your needs, in the very heart of the city, near Terazije square. You can use public buses to go to fair and back, as the ride from Zeleni Venac is only 10 minutes long.

Photo: sajamknjiga.rs