site.btaSpring Book Fair Opens in Sofia

The Spring Book Fair opened on Monday in front of Sofia’s National Palace of Culture convention centre. The event, organized by the Bulgarian Book Association (BBA), also marked the launch of the Sofia International Literary Festival for Children and Young People. 

Vice President Iliana Iotova and Minister of Culture Marian Bachev opened the Spring Book Fair.

"For Bulgaria, every day is May 24. But there is nothing more natural and nothing better than celebrating the Book Fair on the third day of the most holy Bulgarian holiday," Yotova said. According to her, every time we open a book, a whole new universe appears before us. "A whole new world - the world of knowledge. For every person this is extremely important. Because through the book we become even more secure in ourselves, more stable, more independent and more free," said Vice President Iliana Iotova.

Culture Minister Marian Bachev noted that he is happy that one of the biggest celebrations in the month of letters is the Spring Book Fair. He said that he believes that thanks to the meetings with authors initiated for the youngest visitors, the fun games, the entertainment programs, they will see the written word in a different way, open their minds and imaginations to the magical world of books. "I am convinced that this now traditional initiative of the Bulgarian Book Association is enjoying such great success, above all because in the new times of artificial intelligence it manages to remind us of the wisdom, emotion and power of knowledge that we can gain from interacting with a traditional book," the Minister said. 

“It is the beginning of one of the biggest celebrations - seven days in which we meet books, we meet their authors, we talk about books, we write about books, we read books, we buy books and it is a huge festival for all readers, publishers, book lovers, said Bulgarian Book Association chair Desislava Alexieva. In her words, books not only create bridges, they create friendships. "They create bonds between people that nothing else can create. Because we are woven from words and the words that are in books connect us," she added.

The mayor of the capital's Triaditza district, Dimitar Bozhilov, said that the startling statistic that an embarrassingly large number of Bulgarians have not read a single book in the past year shows the need for events like the Spring Book Fair. "Bulgarians have always been a reading people. They have used and spread the written word since the Middle Ages, throughout the Bulgarian Revival, to the present day. And I think that what we are getting as feedback from statistics and from sociologists is disturbing and worrying. So I think events like today's should happen more often and in more places in Bulgaria," he said.

Traycho Traykov, Mayor of the capital's Sredets district, noted that it is an extremely good sign that at the Book Fair we see all institutions - the Presidency, the Council of Ministers and the local authorities. According to him, this shows how much everyone understands the importance of the printed book, namely the produced printed book that has gone through the appropriate quality assurance algorithm. "I am convinced that the Sofia town hall and the Sofia districts will continue to support this event and I hope that the librarians will also receive a well-deserved reward for their work," said Traykov.

Iskra Dzhanabetska, Director of the Sofia International Literary Festival for Children and Young People, said that books contain much of the wisdom with which we will confront contemporary challenges. "But the bridge to books and children, and between them, is human. And it is that humanity that we, as their parents, as their teachers, as the people who love books, have is the best tool to engage them," she said.

"One of the lines that we've drawn is for children to get to know their feelings better, but to get to know others and different ones better. Like those for whom Bulgaria is a new home, like those who feel more deprived of any of their senses. We hope that in the meetings we have organized with the books and with other children, they will feel much more supported. Because I deeply believe that it is the books that bring that strength that will bring us together, but for this purpose adults must be there for their children," Dzhanabetska said.

The Spring Book Fair is located in front of the National Palace of Culture and is organized by the Bulgarian Book Association. The event also includes the Sofia International Literary Festival for Children and Young People. A total of over 140 exhibitors will take part in the fair, which will run until 1 June. They will be distributed in 67 tents located in the park in front of the National Palace of Culture. BTA is a media partner of all initiatives of the Bulgarian Book Association. Issues of LIK magazine and the BTA anniversary editions on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the agency can be found at the BTA stand.