Bookworld chronicle
BookWorld '95
10 - 13 March 1995
Of two competing book fairs running in Prague concurrently, the fair held at the Prague Exhibition Grounds by the BookWorld company of the re-established Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers attracted the greater interest of both the public and exhibitors. This fair was attended by 258 exhibiting companies. In spite of some early organizational difficulties, its success with exhibitors and the public gave clear evidence of its importance on the Czech book scene.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Maxim Biller (Germany), Umberto Eco (Italy), Petra Hammesfahr (Germany), Francois-Olivier Rousseau (France), Tadeusz Rozewicz (Poland)
BookWorld '96
22 - 25 May 1996
This year's fair welcomed a higher number of exhibitors and offered a broader range of accompanying programmes, one of which
- Book Nights - saw the involvement of Prague booksellers and their stores. The focus of the foreign programme was Austrian writers, while the French Institute in Prague - in support of translations of French literature - mounted an interesting exhibition in the style of the stage-set of Cyrano de Bergerac. The fair was also attended by a large number of British publishers.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Nicolas Bouvier (Switzerland), Reiner Holbe (Germany), Evelyn Schlag (Austria), Brigitte Schweiger (Austria)
BookWorld '97
8 - 11 May 1997
Guest-of-honour was the Republic of Finland, which this year was celebrating the 80th anniversary of its formation. The event was held in partnership with the Finnish Literature Information Centre, which prepared a very interesting literary programme for both adult and child readers. In terms of improvements in quality of organization and the increased number of exhibitors (715 from 16 countries), '97 went down as one of the more successful years.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Claes Andersson (Finland), Anton Baláž (Slovakia), Eero Balk (Finland), Annie Ernaux (France), Viktor Fischl (Israel), Alfons Frencl (Germany), Joseph Heller (USA), Daniel Hevier (Slovakia), Klára Jarunková (Slovakia), Albert Marenčin (Slovakia), Kirsti Siraste (Finland), Vincent Šikula (Slovakia), Marta Tikkanen (Finland), Kaari Utrio (Finland), Ciril Zlobec (Slovakia), Štefan Žáry (Slovakia)
BookWorld '98
21 - 24 May 1998
The fair was organized by BookWorld Ltd., which had been founded in 1997 by the Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers. Guest-of-honour was the State of Israel; the programme addressed its cultural history and contemporary literature, touching upon broader issues of the co-existence of nations and xenophobia. The number of exhibiting countries increased to 22. (There were 655 exhibitors.)
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Jehuda Amichai (Israel), Ed McBain (USA), Ruth Bondy (Israel), Ruth Elias (Israel), Jostein Gaarder (Norway), Ephraim Kishon (Israel), Nava Semel (Israel), Cécile Wajsbrot (France)
BookWorld '99
20 - 23 May 1999
Guest-of-honour was France, and for the first time the fair was given a central theme: The encyclopedia - a key to knowledge. The France Edition publishers' association brought around 2000 titles to Prague. Within the scope of the fair the conference of the International and European Federation of Booksellers was held, as was a forum of the Union of Translators of the Czech Republic. Of special importance was the attendance of a number of writers from the Netherlands, which was arranged by the Foundation for the Production and Translation of Dutch Literature. The accompanying programme included productions by a number of theatres of works by French authors. 590 exhibitors from 18 participated in the fair.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Kjell Askildsen (Norway), Pierre Assouline (France), Marie Darriesecq (France), Sylvie Germain (France), Arnon Grunberg (Netherlands), Alain Grund (France), Sigrid Laube (Austria), Reinhold Messner (Austria), Magriet de Moor (Netherlands), Cees Nooteboom (Netherlands), Jean-Jacques Sempé (France), Kevin Warwick (United Kingdom)
BookWorld Prague 2000
11 - 14 May 2000
Guest-of-honour was Wallonia-Brussels; the central theme was The City in Literature, within which a common exhibition gave an introduction to all nine cities chosen for the 2000 European City of Culture project (including Prague, whose authorities gave great support to the programme). The fair was composed of 144 programmes, with the participation of 608 exhibitors from 22 countries and 269 accredited journalists.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Paulo Coelho (Brazil), Lilian Faschinger (Austria), Kjartan Flogstadt (Norway), Jon Fosse (Norway), Einar Már Gudmundsson (Iceland), Thomas Gunzig (Belgium), Gail Jones (Australia), Francoise Lalande (Belgium), André Schmitz (Belgium), Yves Swolfs (Belgium), Soti Triantafillou (Greece)
BookWorld Prague 2001
10 - 13 May 2001
Guest-of-honour was Switzerland, a country whose literature is written in four languages. The central theme of the fair was The Literary Translation - a Nation Journeys into the World; this was highlighted in the media thanks to an international conference entitled "Literature Without Borders", which addressed the propagation of translations of literary works, in particular those in minority languages. 654 exhibitors from 26 countries and 323 accredited journalists participated in the fair.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Urs Altermatt (Switzerland), Bernardo Atxaga (Basque Country), Nico Cadsky (Switzerland), Jackie Collins (USA), Mena Elfyn (Wales), Anne-Lise Grobéty (Switzerland), Mario Guaraldi (Italy), Erich Hackl (Austria), Michael Henry Heim (USA), Nora Ikstena (Latvia), Alan Robert Jamieson (Shetlands), Hanna Johannsen (Switzerland), Adolf Jens Koemeda (Switzerland), Demostenes Kourtovik (Greece), Norma Lazo (Mexico), Albrecht Lempp (Poland), Andrei Makine (France), Grytzko Mascioni (Switzerland), Vasco Graca Moura (Portugal), Lela B. Njatin (Slovenia), Ewald Osers (UK), Francesc Parcerisas (Catalonia), Viktor Paskov (Bulgaria), Alina Reyes (Norway), Brigitte Schar (Switzerland), Ruth Schweikert (Switzerland), Anja Snellman (Finland), Andrzej Sosnowski (Poland), Viktor Suvorov (Russia), Pia Tafdrup (Denmark), Sigurbjorg Thrastardóttir (Iceland), Vassilis Vassilikos (Greece/France), Kārlis Vērdiņš (Latvia), István Voros (Hungary), Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine), Pēteris Zirnītis (Latvia)
BookWorld Prague 2002
9 - 12 May 2002
The central exhibition introduced books produced by the countries of the Visegrád Group. The exhibition's central theme - The Reader in the Third Millennium - provided the assignment for the first year of a literary competition. The accompanying programme included the "Apollinaire - an open book" conference and the first year of the "World of Books in Film" film festival. The fair was attended by 481 exhibitors from 28 countries.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Nicolas Ancion (Belgium), Eero Balk (Finland), Vladimír Balla (Slovakia), Alain Berenboom (Belgium), Martine Bertea (France), Andrej Blatnik (Slovenia), Jean-Guy Boin (France), Ruth Bondy (Israel), Krysztof Czyzewski (Poland), Lázsló Darvasi (Hungary), Aleš Debeljak (Slovenia), Tibor Fischer (UK), Viktor Fischl (Israel), Santiago Gamboa (Colombia), Natasza Goerke (Poland), Dagmar Gregorová-Prášilová (Slovakia), Jean-Marc Hovasse (France), Michal Hvorecký (Slovakia), Emil Charous (Slovakia), Drago Jančar (Slovenia), Gail Jones (Australia), Jana Juranová (Slovakia), Josef Kocourek (Slovakia), Otakar Kořínek (Slovakia), Camille Laurens (France), Josef Leikert (Slovakia), Anna Paterson (Sweden), Vladimír Petrík (Slovakia), Sergio Pitol (Mexico), Pavel Rankov (Slovakia), Jaroslav Rezník (Slovakia), Milan Richter (Slovakia), Steve Sam-Sandberg (Sweden), Richard Schwartz (Sweden), Olga Tokarczuk (Poland), David Torkington (UK), Magdalena Tulli (Poland), Magdalena Vodopija (Croatia), Māra Zālīte (Latvia), Péter Zilahy (Hungary)
BookWorld Prague 2003
24 - 27 April 2003
The fair provided a memorable introduction to the literature of Africa in conjunction with the "100 Best African Books" exhibition and the announcement of the NOMA Prize for the best African book of 2002. The central theme was Dialogue Between Continents, which gave its name to a conference and alerted Czech readers and publishers to new or hitherto undiscovered literary horizons. The African presentation saw the publication of a wide range of translations of African works into Czech.
The "World of Books in Film" film festival took place in four cinemas; 50 films based on books were screened. The fair was attended by 518 exhibitors from 28 countries and the whole of Africa (43), plus 457 accredited journalists.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Meshack Asare (Ghana/Germany), Andreu Bauca (Catalonia), Walter Bgoya (Tanzania), Pat Boran (Ireland), Mia Couto (Mozambique), Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe), Róža Domaščyna (Serbia-Lužice), Lezsek Engelking (Poland), Bernardine Evaristo (UK), Erica Fischer (Germany), Aubrey Flegg (Ireland), Feliu Formosa (Catalonia), Kateřina Grochola (Poland), Ninni Holmqvist (Sweden), Natasa Hrastnik (Slovenia), Mary Jay (UK), Samir Khalil (Egypt), Ephraim Kishon (Israel), Ahmadou Kourouma (Ivory Coast/France), Antoni Kroh (Poland), Caya Makhélé (Congo), Niyi Osundare (Nigeria), Barbara and Alan Pease (Australia), Teresa Pascual (Catalonia), Robert Pastor (Andorra), Ponc Pons (Balearic Islands), Sonja Porle (Slovenia), Hamdi Sakkut (Egypt), Jean Sevry (France), Ingo Schulze (Germany), Johanna Sinisalo (Finland), Vivi-An Sjorgen (Finland), Madeleine Thien (Canada), Zoe Wicomb (South Africa/UK), Charlotte Williams (Wales)
BookWorld Prague 2004
6 - 9 May 2004
A region with a common past and a dynamic present: this is how guests-of-honour Ireland, Scotland and Wales introduced themselves at their exhibition. The theme of the fair was Literature as a Source of Inspiration, and it demonstrated the influence of literature in other fields of the arts. This theme was investigated further in the third year of the "World of Books in Film" film festival (which screened 66 films) and the first year of a festival for dramatizations of literary works entitled "The World of Books on the Stage" (with 26 performances). 571 exhibitors from 26 countries took part in the fair; it attracted a public of almost 30,000.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Neal Ascherson (Scotland), Ruth Bondy (Israel), Pat Boran (Ireland), Ron Butlin (Scotland), Moya Cannon (Ireland), Michael Collins (Ireland/USA), John F. Deane (Ireland), Inger Edelfeldt (Sweden), Peter Fallon (Ireland), Carlo Ginzburg (Italy), Kirsty Gunn (Scotland), Hugo Hamilton (Ireland), Tristan Hughes (Wales), Emyr Humphreys (Wales), Stanislava Chrobáková Repar (Slovakia/Slovenia), Alenka Jensterle-Doležalová (Slovenia/Czech Republic), Brian Keenan (Northern Ireland), Daniel Kehlmann (Austria), China Keitetsi (Uganda), Declan Kiberd (Ireland), Barbara Korun (Slovenia), Endre Kukorelly (Hungary), Reiner Kunze (Germany), Gearóid Mac Lochlainn (Northern Ireland), Kevin MacNeil (Scotland), Robert Minhinnick (Wales), Jan Morris (Wales), Gábor Nemeth (Hungary), Éilís Ní Dhuibhne (Ireland), Iztok Osojnik (Slovenia), András Pályi (Hungary), Justin Quinn (Ireland/Czech Republic), Primož Repar (Slovenia), Francesca Rhydderch (Wales), Keith Ridgeway (Ireland), Gabriel Rosenstock (Ireland), Andrej E. Skubic (Slovenia), Pedro Támen (Portugal), Miguel Sousa Tavares (Portugal), Ned Thomas (Wales), Louise Welsh (Scotland), Jacek Zakowski (Poland), Juli Zeh (Germany)
BookWorld Prague 2005
5 - 8 May 2005
Guest-of-honour was Slovenia, whose comprehensive programme included 20 attendant writers, a wide range of readings and discussions and a fascinating, ultramodern presentation at the fair venue and elsewhere in Prague. The central theme - The Literature of the Slavic Peoples - provided a fine opportunity for meetings, debates and exhibitions which addressed the literatures of all Slavic peoples. A second theme was Books for and about Travel, whose programmes and exhibitions looked at travel books, books of reportage, cartographic documents and photographs.
The Berliner Zimmer was premiered; readings were given by 12 writers whose work is closely connected with the city of Berlin.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Inka Bach (Germany), Jicchak Bar-Josef (Israel), Wolfgang Benz (Germany), Andrej Blatnik (Slovenia), Marcus Braun (Germany), Primož Čučnik (Slovenia), Suso de Toro (Spain), Aleš Debeljak (Slovenia), Tanja Dückers (Germany), Jan Faktor (Germany), Evald Flisar (Slovenia), Sylvie Germain (France), Semjons Haņins (Latvia), Drago Jančar (Slovenia), Milan Jesih (Slovenia), Sandra Kalniete (Latvia), Angelika Klüssendorf (Germany), André Kubiczek (Germany), Mojca Kumerdej (Slovenia), Sibylle Lewitscharoff (Germany), Svetlana Makarovič (Slovenia), Brane Mozetič (Slovenia), Maja Novak (Slovenia), Iztok Osojnik (Slovenia), Inka Parei (Germany), James Parker (United Kingdom), Edward Pasewicz (Poland), Christoph Peters (Germany), Emanuel Pierrat (France), Sánchez Pińol (Spain), Gregor Podlogar (Slovenia), Jana Putrle Srdič (Slovenia), Andrej Rozman-Roza (Slovenia), Christian Schünemann (Germany), Andrej Skubic (Slovenia), Meic Stephens (United Kingdom), Tone Škrjanec (Slovenia), Aleš Šteger (Slovenia), Timofejevs Sergejs (Latvia), Suzana Tratnik (Slovenia), Rachel van Riel (United Kingdom), Maja Vidmar (Slovenia), Jutta Voigt (Germany), Istvan Vöres (Hungary), Dane Zajc (Slovenia), Zvagulis Pēteris (Latvia)
BookWorld Prague 2006
4 - 7 May 2006
Guest-of-honour was Latvia, a Baltic state and member of the EU. The central theme was The Literatures of Northern Lands, although a significant part of the fair was devoted (with the kind support of the Czech Commission of UNESCO) to the literatures of non-EU Slavic countries. Comics for Young and Adult Readers, another theme of the literary festival, comprised discussions, news, signings and exhibitions. The international "Literature Without Borders" conference was held as part of the fair, and was divided into three basic sections: 1) translations from the Slavic literatures of non-EU-member states in the editorial programmes of publishers abroad; 2) independent publishing houses - development, innovation, impulses; 3) the co-operation of national organizations in support of translations and publishers. 30 countries gave presentations in Prague; there were 394 exhibitors in total.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Ābele Inga (Latvia), Majgul Axelsson (Sweden), Anton Baláž (Slovakia), Pauls Bankovskis (Latvia), Alberts Bels (Latvia), Bērziņš Uldis (Latvia), Marcus Birro (Sweden), Wolfgang Büscher (Germany), Dušan Dušek (Slovakia), Benoît Duteurtre (France), Elsbergs Jānis (Latvia), Karl-Markus Gauss (Austria), Vigdís Grímsdóttir (Iceland), Mila Haugová (Slovakia), Hallgrímur Helgason (Iceland), Helle Helle (Denmark), Kari Hotakainen (Finland), Khalid Hussain (Norway), Michal Hvorecký (Slovakia), Semjons Haņins (Latvia), Lars Saabye Christensen (Norway), Nora Ikstena (Latvia), Sandra Kalniete (Latvia), Fridtjof Kjaereng (Norway), Ingeborg Kongslien (Norway), Juris Kronbergs (Latvia), Benjamin Kuras (Czech Republic/UK), Margarita Kyurchieva (Bulgaria), Langa Liāna (Latvia), Zinaida Lindén (Finland), Peter Macsovszky (Slovakia), Laima Muktupāvela (Latvia), Andra Neiburga (Latvia), Rubén Palma (Denmark), Martin Prinz (Austria), Raups Edvīns (Latvia), Gundega Repše (Latvia), Jānis Rokpelnis (Latvia), Jürgen Rooste (Estonia), Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Iceland), Knuts Skujenieks (Latvia), Martin Solotruk (Slovakia), Peter Šulej (Slovakia), Árni Thórarinsson (Iceland), Timofejevs Sergejs (Latvia), Kārlis Vērdiņš (Latvia), Feridun Zaimoglu (Germany), Inese Zandere (Latvia), Andris Zeibots (Latvia)
BookWorld Prague 2007
3 - 6 May 2007
The central theme of the 13th book fair was Literature and Multimedia, and it introduced a wide range of multimedia players for the rendering of literary texts. In the Hall for Film, Multimedia and Television the public could find audio-books, interactive literary portals, e-books and computer games, and there were workshops which addressed ways of bringing together literature and multimedia technologies.
"Reading to Discover the Future" was a joint German-Austrian-Swiss programme which composed part of the main exhibition and comprised books in German; it was an opportunity for the Czech public to get to know a wide range of German, Austrian and Swiss writers. The fair was attended by 526 exhibitors from 34 countries and a public of more than 30,000.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Risto Ahti (Finland), Attilla Bartis (Hungary), Anne Bouteloup (France), Alexandra Buchler (United Kingdom), Metin Celal (Turkey), Petru Cimpoiesu (Romania), Michael Desclot (Spain), Karen Duve (Germany, Stefan H. Ehlers (Germany), Eduard Escoffet (Spain), Jan Faktor (Germany), Eleonore Frey (Switzerland), Barbara Frischmuth (Austria), Robert Fulghum (USA), Bill Gertz (USA),
Maria Grech Ganado (Malta), Adrian Grima (Malta), Thierry Groensteen (France), Jakob Hein (Germany), Christian Ide Hintze (Austria), Paulus Hochgatterer (Austria), Alan Holmes (United Kingdom), Mladen Jandrlic (Croatia), Gert Jonke (Austria), Orhan Kipcak (Austria), Bodo Kirchhoff (Germany), Peter Krištúfek (Slovakia), Judith Kuckart (Germany), Ioan Lacusta (Romania), Langa Liāna (Latvia), Leevi Lehto (Finland), Manfred Metzner (Germany), Clemens Meyer (Germany), Dušan Mitana (Slovakia), Risto Niemi-Pynttäri (Finland), Dana Podracká (Slovakia), Rosemarie Poiarkov (Austria), Francine Prose (USA), Alberts Punte (Latvia), Vassilis Rouvalis (Greece), Zoë Skoulding (United Kingdom), Wilbur Smith (USA), Michael Stavarič (Austria), Antoine Volodine (France), Bernard Wallet (France), Alec Williams (United Kingdom), Thomas Wohlfahrt (Germany), Chantal Wright (United Kingdom), Matthias Zschokke (Switzerland)
Book World Prague 2008
24 – 27 April 2008
Guest-of-honour was Spain, fourteen Spanish authors were in attendance at the fair. The central theme was “Literature in Spanish from the countries of Latin America” which introduced writers from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru to the Czech public. The theme “Love and Passion in Literature” offered discussions and two exhibitions of erotic publications and love correspondence in Czech from the 19th and 20th centuries. In a special hall “Lifestyle and the Book” were exhibited books on architecture, art, design and book graphics, enriched by discussions on this topic. Within the theme “Egypt – 50 Years of Czech Egyptology” – the Czech Institute of Egyptology of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague in cooperation with the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the Czech Republic presented its book publications in an interesting exhibition which also included lectures and films. 385 exhibitors from 36 countries took part in the fair; it attracted a public of almost 35,000.
A selection from the Book of Foreign Guests: Héctor Orestes Aguilar (Mexico), Anton Baláž (Slovakia), Balla (Slovakia), Leyla Bartet (Peru), Leyla Bartet (Peru), Jan Bauer, Sergi Belbel (Spain), Sergi Belbel (Spain), Jorge Eduardo Benavides (Peru), Jorge Eduardo Benavides (Peru), Maro Bielik (Slovakia), Rogelio Blanco (Spain), Malgorzata Borkowse (Poland), Boris Carloff, Javier Celaya (Spain), Alfredo Conde (Spain), Laszlo Darvasi (Hungary), Slávka Daubnerová (Slovakia), María Kodama de Borges (Argentina), Edgar de Bruin (Netherlands), Luis Sáez Delgado (Spain), Julieta Dobles (Costa Rica), Richard Dübell (Germany), Françoise Dubruille (France), Nikolaj Frobenius (Norway), Rafael Pérez Gay (Mexico), Guy Goffette (Belgium), Carlos Gonzáles (Cuba), José María González García (Spain), Joachim Gunter Hammer (Austria), Judith Hermann (Germany), Carlos Herrera (Peru), Elena Hidvéghyová-Yung (Slovakia), Franz Hohler (Switzerland), Amanda Hopkinson (United Kingdom), Tom Hutchinson (United Kingdom), Clara Janés (Spain), Claudiu Komartin (Romania), Jaromír Konečný (Germany), Márius Kopcsay (Slovakia), Kamila Kytková (Slovakia), Fernando Rodriguez Lafuente (Spain), Julio Llamazares (Spain), Mikołaj Łoziński (Poland), Dušan Malota (Slovakia), Matthias Mander (Austria), Juan Jesús Armas Marcelo (Spain), Mircei Martine (Romania), Dorota Maslowská (Poland), Ken McClure (United Kingdom), John McNamee (Ireland), Berta Mexidor (Cuba), Mercedes Monmany de la Torre (Spain), Brane Mozetic (Slovenia), Alberto Ortiz (Spain), Peter Palik (Slovakia), Márta Patak (Hungary), Annette Pehnt (Germany), Per Petterson (Norway), Rolando Costa Picazo (Argentina), Tomasz Pindel (Poland), Panu Rajala (Finland), Stéphane Reznikow (France), Manuel Rodriguez Rivero (Spain), Andrés Sánchez Robayna (Spain), Tereza Ruiz Rosas (Peru), Eduardo Rovner (Argentina), Nóra Ružičková (Slovakia), Astrid Saalbachová (Denmark), Daniel Saavedra (Spain), Javier Sagarna (Spain), Andrzej Sapkowski (Poland), Jordi Sierra i Fabra (Spain), Vladimír Skalský (Slovakia), Stanislav Struhar (Austria), Ricardo Sumalavia (Peru), Mariusz Szczygieł (Poland), Simona Škrabec (Spain), Uwe Timm (Germany), Radoslav Tomáš (Slovakia), Carles Torner (Spain), Krisztina Tóth (Hungary), Gerhard Trapp (Germany), Razvan Tupa (Romania), Jarmo Valkola (Finland), Enrique Vila-Matas (Spain), Pavel Vilikovský (Slovakia), Muriel Villanueva (Spain), Naďa Vokušová (Slovakia), Shaun Wilden (United Kingdom), Monika Zgustova (Spain)
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