After nearly a quarter of a century of absence, Bulgaria returns to the International Book Fair in Leipzig, the Federal Republic of Germany, which will take place this year from 27-30 April.
Bulgaria country will be represented with a National Booth during the period of the prestigious World Exhibition. The Minister of Culture Nayden Todorov will participate in the Fair’s official opening today at 7 pm—German weather. Bulgaria’s last participation was in 1999. , when Bulgaria country was the focus of the Fair.
Minister Todorov will open National Booth within the Traduki Space the next day, April 27, at 11:30 am. Within the forum, he will meet Mrs Anna Bergman – Executive Director of the Federation of European Publishers; Mrs Catherine Bude – Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Media (in Berlin); with Prof. Andreas Schultz – Genius director of Gevandhaus – Leipzig, as well as with Mr Oliver Tsile – director of the Leipzig Book Fair.
Bulgaria is a partner country of the Traduki project – the translation support program in Southeast Europe and German-speaking countries, and has been an Equal Member since 2019.
Bulgaria was invited to participate in the ” Traduki ” collective stand at the Leipzig Book Fair this year. The state chose this way of participation as a sign and confirmation of good cooperation between Traduki partners.
Two Bulgarian authors, Georgi Gospodinov and Joanna Elmi, will perform in the academic program of the Leipzig Reads Fair. Georgi Gospodinov will be available to publishers and readers on April 28 from 4:30 pm. in the shared space of Traduki – Kafana (Cafe), Halle 4, stand D407.
Together with him will be Minister Todorov, who, later in the day, will welcome guests at the opening of the Honorary Consulate of Bulgaria in the province of Saxony. The honorary Consul of Bulgaria is Mr. Haiko Schmid.
On April 29 at 13:00 in Halle 4, Stand E406, Georgi Gospodinov and Joanna Elmi will perform together. The concept for their co-participation is entitled “The Present Past”, and within it, they will focus on topics such as “Politics”, “Memory”, and “Trauma”.
The event will represent a conversation between Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov, already well-known to the German public, and debut author Joanna Elmi. The moderator will be Jorg Platt, with a German translation provided.
Georgi Gospodinov’s visit to the Leipzig International Book Fair comes just days after it became clear that his novel “Time Refuge” has been shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize.
For the first time, the shortlist includes books whose originals are in languages that have never reached this stage. The winner will be announced on May 23 at the Sky Garden in London. The distinctions are one of the most critical events in the literary and publishing world and have been presented since 1969.
Joanna Elmi (1995) writes journalism and prose. She is part of the Toest independent media team and works with the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria; her texts have also been published in other media.
He graduated from English Studies and International Relations in Paris and continues with a Master’s in Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. In 2018/2019, he won the National Strive for Stars scholarship to the Cultural Perspectives Foundation, where he plays Narcissus and Echo. She was born in Sofia and lives between Bulgaria and the United States today.