Busy Slovenian Book Fair starting next week

Head of the fair's management board Zdravko Kafol told the press in Ljubljana on Tuesday that the number of exhibitors increased by 17% compared to last year and that saturation point has been reached in terms of content and room capacities.

The symbol of this year's fair is the rebellious hero of the first Slovenian picture book Martin Krpan, who will be equipped with a book, sending the message that books remain the most effective weapon. The 100th anniversary of Martin Krpan is being celebrated this year.

For the third year running, the fair will place an emphasis on international literature, focussing on Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

The list of visitors from abroad includes Swiss authors Peter Stamm and Lukas Bärfuss, the German illustrator of the Gruffalo Axel Schäffler, German authors Tamara Bach and Wolf Biermann, as well members of the Slovenian minority in Austria Florjan Lipuš and Maja Haderlap.

The festival, which is organised by the Slovenian Chamber of Book Publishers and Cankarjev dom, will also move for a day to Eisenkappel, a town in Austria's Carinthia, which is home to a sizeable Slovenian minority.

Over 50 panel debates are planned at Cankarjev dom, featuring the likes of two-time Booker prize nominee Tim Parks and one of the most influential names of French publishing Teresa Cremisi.

While the focus countries will be in the foreground of the debates at the fair, the topics to be explored also include fake news, populism and critical thinking in a post-truth era.

A number of awards will be handed out, including a lifetime achievement award in publishing and a book of the year award. Moreover, the Goethe Institute will confer an award for best German-Slovenian translation to Štefan Vevar for the translation of Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald.