Slovenian Book Fair as prelude to Frankurt Book Fair
Ljubljana, 21 November - The Slovenian Book Fair will get under way on Monday, held in a hybrid format for the first time. Running until 27 November, it will feature 88 publishers and over 200 events, some of them dedicated to Slovenia's stint as the guest of honour at next year's Frankfurt Book Fair. Just like in Frankfurt, Spain is this year's guest country in Ljubljana.
Ljubljana
Slovenian book fair.
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek/STA
The official opening will take place tonight whereas the event will open for visitors on Tuesday.
Moving from its long-time venue at the Cankarjev Dom to Ljubljana's fairgrounds Gospodarsko Razstavišče because of more space and better conditions for exhibitors, the 38th iteration of the country's main book fair will have four main stages hosting Slovenian and foreign guests.
A number of awards will be conferred, including the awards for the book of the year, for the best book of the fair, for which an on-line poll will be available, for best debut and the best business book. The Schwentner Award for exceptional contributions to publishing and bookselling will also be given out.
The featured Slovenian city at the fair this year is Rogaška Slatina, the birthplace of prominent post-war children's book author Ela Peroci. Spain will be the honorary guest country, following its guest of honour appearance at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair.
As Slovenia was declared the guest of honour for 2023 in October, the Publishing Academy will feature Frankfurt Book Fair-related debates, including one with its director Jürgen Boss and the acting director of the Slovenian Book Agency, Katja Stergar.
The programme also includes debates on the state of society, the situation of children and youth, and events co-organised by the Slovenian Writers' Association.
Comic books will make their debut at the fair, while visitors will also have a chance to enjoy an exhibition of illustrations and get acquainted with photo books.
Another set of events will focus on selling copyright to foreign publishers starting with Spanish-English author Lawrence Schimel, who is also head of the A Midsummer Night's Press publishing house. Among the guests will also be Helsinki Literary Agency director Urpu Strellman and Latvian independent literary agent Benas Bernatas.