Podgorica will breathe with books from the second to the sixth of October, during the jubilee, tenth edition of the International Book Fair, which will be held on Independence Square in Podgorica, under the slogan "The city breathes with books". The fair will be officially opened on Wednesday at 17 p.m., and visitors can visit it every day from 11 a.m. to 22 p.m., admission is free.
"The jubilee edition of the Fair is held on Independence Square, under the motto that symbolizes the essential connection between the city and the culture of reading. This thought expresses the idea that books are not only a source of knowledge, but also that they are living entities that shape, enrich and inspire the community. Through the Fair, Podgorica becomes open book, a place where every page offers a new experience, where the culture of reading is not only an activity, but a way of life. It is an invitation to discovery, to dialogue and to the love of books, in the heart of a city that lives for culture," she said at today's conference for media spokeswoman of the Secretariat for Culture of the Capital City Jelena Đurđić Tomović.
Lorenco Marone and the novel "Plavo pero"
More than 40 high-quality and varied programs, promotions, workshops, content for children, as well as meetings with renowned authors, have been announced, in different locations.
Secretary of the Secretariat for Culture Snezana Tomanović she said that, in addition to the Independence Square, the program will also take place in other spaces that are considered to be "points of the city's culture", such as: Kuslev's House, Art Gallery, Summer Scene above Ribnica, Montenegrin National Theater, Montenegrin Cinematheque, Njegošev Park, and everything will be announced in due time, she said...
"Such a concept gives the intention that next year this Fair will grow into a book festival! As far as the concept is concerned, there will also be content that is not exclusively literary - films based on literary works (The Summer when I Learned to Fly and Guardians of the Formula), the theater piece 'The Conspirators "There is also a book donation campaign in which every visitor can donate a title to the Children's Hospital or Home for the Elderly in Podgorica. We will also have workshops for high school students, programs for children," she announced, thanking her partners for their support.
Tomanović announced as an "exclusive" the guest appearance of one of the most important contemporary Italian writers, and it is in question Lorenzo Marone which will be in Podgorica on the third of October, thanks to the support of the Embassy of Italy in Montenegro and the Italian Institute for Culture from Belgrade.
"It is even more exclusive that Marone recently published his new novel "Blue Feather", which has not yet been translated into any of the languages of the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Thanks to the ambassador, that privilege and pleasure will go to the Secretariat for Culture, which, in the translation of Ms. Teresa Albano, director of the Italian Institute of Culture, to print a thousand copies of this novel, as the first translation in the Yugoslav territories," she proudly pointed out.
"Team Lionheart" in Italian
Artistic director of the Fair Vasko Raičević he said that more than 40 programs are a real "cultural attack on Podgorica", with the aim of offering something that is in the trend of European and regional literature.
"We have created a kind of combination of domestic and regional literature with selected authors from Europe. This year we have the exclusive that one of the important names of world and Italian literature is coming, with the help and support of the Italian Embassy, thanks to which we will have more interesting programs... What can be interesting is the translation of the novel "Team Lionheart" Cedo Vuković in Italian, and we will cover a very interesting topic 'Balkan passion - football and politics in the former Yugoslavia from socialism to the present day'... In addition, the guests will be writers from Poland, England, Wales, Austria... As for regional literature, there are important authors who in some way participate in the trends of regional literature. As for Montenegrin literature, this year we will have more authors whose books are actually published by publishers from countries in the region, which will be interesting," Raičević said.
He pointed out some of the authors who will be guests of the Fair: Nađa Petrović whose novel "Jellyfish Live Forever" saw its fourth edition and received numerous awards, Snjezana Banović who attracted regional attention with her book "Chronicle of Happy Moments", Dragan Markovina who has new books, Olja Knezevic with a new novel, Aleksandar Gatalica, Bojan Krivokapić, representatives of the Croatian Society of Writers and others, as well as about 70 publishers...
Fair hall required
Raičević added that it is interesting that the Fair will be organized on the Square independently and he reminded that such manifestations "have been held on the squares for centuries, until halls intended for book fairs were started to be built".
"Podgorica does not have such a hall, so perhaps this is an opportunity to draw attention to it, with an emphasis on the importance of planning that space for the next period," said Raičević.
When asked by Vijesti what was the reason for moving the Fair from the area of the Bemax arena where it was held until now, Tomanović said that the reasons were of a technical nature, i.e. the dates and fitting of the program that was not possible. Previously, she pointed out that the intention is for the Fair to have the dimensions of a festival, in which the dynamics in the public space can contribute.
"Podgorica is a big city, it has two big book fairs, a book festival already next year, as well as some other literary events, and despite that - there are no fair spaces. I hope and believe that the city authorities, whoever they are there, will will deal with those issues in the field of culture, and that in the folk period they will also place a space intended for the book fair they function in the heart of cities," said Tomanović.
At the press conference, on behalf of the company M:tel, which is the general sponsor of the Fair, she addressed the audience Bojana Maraš which reminded of the catchphrase of that company "you have friends", pointing out that in fact a book is the first friend that is acquired in early childhood.
The patrons of the Fair are the Ministry of Culture and Media, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro, the Embassy of Italy in Montenegro and the Italian Institute for Culture in Belgrade.
Bonus video:
