Press release: BOOK WORLD PRAGUE 201117th INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR AND LITERARY FESTIVAL
Guest of honour – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The exposition of Saudi Arabia as guest of honour at Book World Prague 2011 has been provided for by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), whose task it was to plan, prepare and make arrangements for the participation of Saudi Arabia at the fair. The Ministry is also guarantor of all the accompanying programmes and activities that are prepared for the country’s participation in all international book fairs of the world.
The Literature of the Arab World
Within this theme there will be a wide range of international events and programmes, including The World of Modern Arabic Literature; The Literature of the Maghreb in the Czech Republic; Paths Taken by Contemporary Tunisian Poetry; The Origination and Development of Arabic Drama; Arabic Literature in Translation; The Influence of Arabic Folk Literature on the Development of Arabic Children’s Literature; Presenting the Arabic Book Market; A Literary Background in Arabic Prose and Poetry and Its Echo in Arab and Western Societies; Arab Revolutions; Islam, Mysticism, Orientalism; Jewels of Medieval Islamic Mystical Literature; The Arabic Literary Diaspora and Exile; Arab Women Writers; Arabic Calligraphy. Many authors from several Arab countries will be attending the fair.
Some other authors from abroadRada Biller – Germany; Laurent Binet – France; Irena Brežná – Switzerland; Archie Brown – United Kingdom; Ani Burova – Bulgaria; Iulian Ciocan – Romania; Brenda Flanagan – USA; David Grossman – Israel; Thomas Gunzig – Belgium; Tae Ko Un – South Korea; Alfred Komarek – Austria; Márius Kopcsay – Slovakia; Steve Sem-Sandberg – Sweden; Michael Scammell – United Kingdom; Kārlis Vērdiņš – Latvia; Dimitri Verhulst – Belgium The World of e-booksThis year’s fair will offer its visitors a unique opportunity to become familiar with the electronic book and everything connected with it. For the first time this theme will be given its own space – the e-bookworld Pavilion. Here visitors will find electronic-book readers that use electronic ink and paper – i.e. ‘E ink’ technology, which allows one to read in a comfort comparable to that provided by paper books and thanks to which electronic books have become very popular in many western countries. Visitors will also have the opportunity to try out interactive media and other interesting technologies. Das BuchThe Das Buch project presents the work of contemporary authors writing in German, and has become a familiar presence at the fair. It is the result of the cooperation of three organizations – the Goethe-Institut, the Austrian Cultural Forum in Prague and the Swiss Embassy in Prague supported by the Pro Helvetia Arts Council. Literature NightIt has become traditional that the eve of the Literary Festival is marked by Literature Night, an evening of readings from European literatures in translation held by Czech Centres in cooperation with cultural organizations involved in the EUNIC project. This year’s event will take place on 11 May. Literature for children and young people (Growing with the Book)This theme – which focuses on writing for children and young people and forms of debate among professionals – has become a regular accompaniment to the fair. It includes events and workshops for children.
Cooking with the BookAfter its successful ‘premiere’ the year before last, the gastro show Cooking with the Book is returning to the Book World fair. It will include a display of books about cookery, recipe books and handbooks on healthy living. Visitors to the fair will be able to watch the preparation of a range of interesting and non-traditional dishes in a special area equipped with top appliances by Fagor and utensils by Potten & Pannen. From Friday to Sunday in the foyer of the Palace of Industry. Prizes awarded at the fairThe Tale of the One Thousand and Second Night or the Literature of the Arab World – announcement of results and conferring of prizes for the literary competition of the same name; Readers’ Challenge – final round of a competition testing knowledge of the content of books, held by Book World Ltd. for sixth-year classes of primary schools, whose preliminary rounds were entered online by 17 classes from across the Czech Republic and in which the best 5 will compete in the final before an audience (Book World Ltd. as part of its Growing with the Book campaign for the promotion of book-reading); Jiří Orten Prize (Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers); Czech Bestsellers in 2010 (Rodinné knihkupectví); Booksellers’ Charts (Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers); Premia Bohemica (Writers’ Guild); Map of the Year (Cartographic Society of the Czech Republic); Tourmap (Tourfilm Festival and Avant Promotion); Prize of the Academy of SF, Fantasy and Horror, Pince-nez and Little Pince-nez (Czech Literary Translators’ Guild); Miroslav Ivanov Prize and Prize of the Town of Jaroměř-Josefov (Club of Non-fiction Authors); Dictionary of the Year (Association of Translators and Interpreters); School is the Foundation of Life (Writers’ Guild); Our World 2010 (National Institute for Children and Young People of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports); Prizes for the Development of Czech Wikipedia (Wikimedia); plus many other prizes awarded by individual publishing houses Ceremonial conferral of the Jiri Theiner AwardThis year for the first time Book World Ltd. will award the Jiri Theiner Award to a living person or institution who by their or its work has made an important contribution to the dissemination and promotion of Czech literature abroad. Pavel Theiner, son of Jiri (George) Theiner and donor of the financial award, is a permanent, honorary member of the committee. Also participating at the ceremony will be representatives of the British magazine Index on Censorship, for which Jiří (George) Theiner worked for many years. The 2011 award will be conferred on Mr Andrzej Slawomir Jagodzinski from Poland. 11th Book World in Film – 38 film screenings (2 – 15 May)A programme of film screenings introducing works based on and inspired by works of world literature. The programme, which is organized by Book World in association with the Atlas and Ponrepo cinemas, begins two weeks before the opening of the fair. Screenings also take place directly at the exhibition grounds and at the French Institute. The dramatic composition of the programme is prepared in association with the National Film Archive. 8th Book World on the Stage – 7 theatre performances (5 April – 14 May)A programme of contemporary theatre from the repertoires of theatres from across the Czech Republic, inspired by the themes of the literary festival.
For a complete programme, please see: www.svetknihy.cz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
