France and Icelandic author Jón Kalman Stefánsson will be the guests of honor at this year’s Budapest International Book Festival, which will take place from September 26 to 29 in Millenáris Park with almost 150 exhibitors and renowned Hungarian and foreign authors.
Presenting the program, Matthieu Berton, Director of the Institut français de Budapest, noted that the 85-square-meter French stand will offer a total of around 30 events (conferences, talks, workshops, concerts, family and other activities), with a selection of more than 1,000 French-language books.
He added that French-Hungarian literary relations are not only rich in the past, but also in the present:
hundreds of French works are translated into Hungarian every year, making French the third most common source language.
Seven French authors are now coming to Budapest, who will present their Hungarian translations of their books in round-table discussions, book launches and readings.
Kinga Németh, Managing Director of Typotex, said of the festival’s guest of honor that
Nordic literature has long been popular in Hungary, but Jón Kalman Stefánsson has brought a new voice to the genre.
Not only are his novels captivating, but he himself is a unique personality,” she said. It is a little known fact that Stefánsson also writes poetry, hence a book of his poems will be published by Typotex on the occasion of the book festival.
Anett Orosz, communications officer of the Libri publishing group, added that the Icelandic writer has close ties with Hungarian readers and will visit Hungary for the sixth time to receive the Budapest Grand Prize and meet Hungarian audiences at several events.
Osman Can Ürel, Second Counselor at the Turkish Embassy in Budapest, recalled that the festival also joins the programs of the Turkish-Hungarian Cultural Year, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Türkiye in 1923.
Turkish publishers will showcase their books, hold joint book launches with their Hungarian partners and seek further professional cooperation.
Éva Karádi, coordinator of the European Writers’ Meeting on September 27, emphasized that this year’s event will feature authors such as Pierre Assouline, Arnaud Dudek and Marie-Aude Murail, while a round table talk will bring together Central European authors to discuss the possibility of working with the past in literature.
In addition, this time, twenty-two Slovak books will be presented – for example, former Slovak Prime Minister Ľudovít Ódor (Lajos Ódor) will meet his readers in person – but visitors will also be able to get to know Czech, Polish, Ukrainian, German and Hungarian authors and works.
Via MTI; Featured image via Facebook/Budapesti Nemzetközi Könyvfesztivál/International Book Festival Budapest
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