The 66th International Book Fair in Belgrade has been inaugurated, with France as the honorary guest.
The Belgrade Book Fair, running until October 29, was grandly inaugurated under the slogan “Long Live Books”. French author Mathias Enard and Serbian writer and publisher Vladislav Bajac officiated the opening. This year, the fair honors France, showcasing authors, translators, publishers, and distributors from the country.
“In these times, marked by the sounds of explosions and cries of victims, where our hopes seem threatened by wars and omnipresent destruction, it’s consoling to see that our words still cross borders,” said Enard, the winner of the 2015 Goncourt Prize for his novel “Compass”.
Apart from France and Serbian publishers, participants at the 66th Book Fair include publishers from Romania, Montenegro, Croatia, Republika Srpska, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Belarus, Russia, China, India, and Egypt.
The Fair’s agenda includes marking the 190th birth anniversary of Jovan Jovanović Zmaj. Panels will also honor Miloš Crnjanski and Radoje Domanović. Thursday, October 26, is designated as “School Day”.
As a tradition, awards will be presented, including evaluations for publishing production across nine categories.
Photo: Beogradski Sajam/sajamknjiga.rs