PUBLISHERS FROM 15 COUNTRIES, INCLUDING SRPSKA, GATHER AT BELGRADE BOOK FAIR

BELGRADE, OCTOBER 23 /SRNA/ – The 69th International Belgrade Book Fair was officially opened this evening under the slogan "Words Build the World," with exhibitors from 15 countries, including Republika Srpska.

The fair features 300 direct exhibitors from Serbia and 14 other countries, with Tunisia as the guest of honor.

Opening the event, writer and art critic Dragan Jovanović Danilov said the fair was a beautiful reflection of Belgrade and Serbia, while a book was a mirror for every writer, reader and publisher.

"Literature can thrive only where books are a passion for large numbers of people, which is why the reader takes on the role of the protagonist," Danilov said.

He stressed that books are life in themselves, adding that the richness of culture is reflected in its diversity and variety.

"From our great writers and thinkers, especially those active between the two world wars, we learn what true cosmopolitanism means: a blend of the home hearth and the wider world. That is precisely what the Belgrade Book Fair represents," Danilov said.

Republika Srpska will present its publishing industry at the region's largest literary event at a stand in Hall 2 of the Belgrade Fair, under the slogan "To Exist. To Carry an Identity."

The showcase of Republika Srpska publishers is dedicated to marking the 65th anniversary of Ivo Andrić receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Speaking on behalf of Tunisia, Khaled Kchir, director of the Tunis International Book Fair, said literature in his country was flourishing today.

"At every stage of its development, Tunisian literature has maintained close ties with community life, addressing themes of colonialism, the national struggle, and social upheaval and transformation," Kchir said.

The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of national institutions, religious communities and the diplomatic corps, as well as writers. Among the guests was Mlađen Cicović, head of the Republika Srpska Representative Office in Serbia.

The book fair will run until October 31 and will be open to visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.