The 69th edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair has ended. This year, the focus is on France and its literary publications. We also learn what the Bulgarian pavilion looks like, which last year raised a lot of discussion questions.
As the focal country of the current festival, France has a huge and very beautiful pavilion. Interestingly, there is nothing digital in it, unlike the trend in recent years. The French pavilion is made entirely of wood and books and conveys a traditional and more conservative feeling towards literature.
The book fair opened in the presence of French Prime Minister Macron and Chancellor Merkel. The media attention is huge, and a very large number of writers are also present.
As for the Bulgarian stand, it marks a step forward in terms of its design: it is much better arranged. There is an exhibition of illustrations by Lyuben Zidarov, the best Bulgarian illustrator of literary works. There is an exhibition of books by Bulgarian authors from Bulgarian publishing houses, selected by the team of the Bulgarian Book Association. There is a stand with books by Bulgarian authors translated into foreign languages and supported by the National Book Center. Among them are “18 Gray” by Zahari Karabashliev in Polish, “Physics of Sadness” by Georgi Gospodinov in Danish, “Abandoned in Nature” by Milen Ruskov, “Mothers” by Teodora Dimova in Czech.
Despite the wonderful work on Bulgaria’s stand at the fair, it should be noted the belated reaction of the Ministry of Culture, which once again signed the contract for the exhibition late. He believes that in addition to the ministry’s program, book exhibitions and fairs such as those in Frankfurt, Paris and London should also be included in its budget, so that it can work in a timely manner every year on the preparation of these cultural events. Maintaining a stand and organizing it requires a lot of time, he explained.
Source: Bulgarian National Television – Interview with Svetlozar Zhelev – link to video
Photos: Frankfurter Buchmesse – FB page
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