The representative of the NGO Mladiinfo Montenegro (m!M) attended the press conference on the occasion of the beginning of the VI International Book Fair organized by the Capital Podgorica and the Secretariat for culture and sports, with the support of the Ministry of culture. The conference was held on September 25, 2020 in the press hall of the City Parliament, in Podgorica.
The book fair will start on Tuesday, September 29 and will last until October 3, and the Bemax arena will be a meeting place for writers and socializing with the book this year as well. This year’s edition of the fair is organized in significantly different conditions, so the organizers have taken the necessary measures to comply with the prescribed measures to protect public health.
Speaking about the changed circumstances in which events are organized, the Secretary of the Secretariat for Culture and Sports Ana Medigovic pointed out that the holding of the fair was not questioned at any time, but that the teams of the Secretariat for culture and organizational teams of the fair worked hard to adapt the event to new circumstances.
“We can rightly say that in the calendar of cultural events, the fair occupies a special place, if not the most important. The fair is dedicated to books, promotion of literary creation, cultural and developmental social and current topics in the field of literature and this will be an opportunity to present Montenegrin publishers, Montenegrin authors, to raise the issue of Montenegrin publishing, to provide an opportunity for authors and cultural institutions and regional countries to connect and achieve cooperation”, Medigovic pointed out.
She added that, compared to the previous year, a smaller number of publishers will be presented at this year’s fair – 51 of them, and the working hours of the fair are from 10.00 to 21.00.
“The program of the fair is also adjusted to this year’s conditions, so that the promotions will not be all-day, but exclusively in the afternoon. This year, we will not have a traditional masquerade ball with elementary schools, because we estimated that it would be too much of a risk”, Medigovic emphasized and expressed hope that numerous contents will be compensated next year.
She expressed her gratitude to Bemax for the adequate and very beautiful space in which the fair is being organized this year as well.
The artistic director of the fair, Vasko Raicevic expressed his gratitude to the Secretariat for culture and sports of the Capital for the opportunity to deal with something as inspiring as the creation of a literary program. Since the conditions are pandemic, he said that many of the guests will not be able to be at the fair, but will be present through online inclusions, so that segment of the fair will not have major shortcomings.
“My first idea was to present, when it comes to regional literature, those authors who are the most read, and belong to the younger generations of writers, among whom we have our representatives, and who have never been presented to our audience. First of all, I had in mind Masha Kolanovic from Croatia, Lana Bastacic from Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with our Stefan Boskovic, as the winners of the European Prize for Literature”, Raicevic pointed out.
Raicevic emphasized that due to the sudden increase in the number of infected, a certain number of programs had to be canceled, but that one part would be retained and realized in the form of online inclusion.
“What was important to us as a picture of the domestic literary scene and what has always been, in a way, most important to me, is the presentation of young writers and the young generation that brings a new picture of the world from their perspective. Of course, the literary program is not only fiction, but also historiography and other publications that are also important in the publishing segment, so the fair will include several books such as books by Janko Ljumovic, Tomislav Markovic, Adnan Prekic and others, as well as very interesting publishing houses, especially the smaller ones”, added Raicevic, announcing a review of the new Austrian literature, as well as literature that deals with relations between countries, such as relations between Montenegro and Romania, Montenegro and the Czech Republic and many other topics.
“It is very important for me that cultural events take place despite all the aggravating circumstances, and I hope that these strict measures will not deter people from visiting the fair, those who are lovers of literature and who are fascinated by books as a phenomenon”, concluded Vasko Raicevic.
To meet the fair, a literary program “Young Montenegrin Literature” will be held tonight, in the sloping hall of the library “Radosav Ljumovic”, starting at 20.00.
The artistic director of the fair, Vasko Raicevic and the writer Dragana Tripkovic will talk to Barbara Delac and Milo Masonicic, representatives of the new generation of Montenegrin literary creators.
