Frankfurt Book Fair to bring Georgian literature to readers in pandemic-adapted form
This year's fair will forego its usual display at the sprawling fairgrounds of Frankfurt and move many of its events and industry platform online. Photo: Alexander Heimann/Frankfurt Book Fair.
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Georgian literature and authors will meet their readers during the Frankfurt Book Fair again this year, with the world's largest event of the kind going ahead in altered form due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On two separate occasions this month, a physical event and an online screening will connect literature enthusiasts with poetry, prose and more from the country, as the 2020 fair moves partially into the web realm with its Bookfest Digital.
The first date for the Georgian representation at the celebration of literary creativity will come on October 15, when German-based Georgian author Iunona Guruli is joined by readers at Hotel Roomers Frankfurt for an unveiling of her latest book Mohnfelder. The talk will be moderated by her German counterpart Susan Schmidt.
The winner of the 2018 Saba Literary Prize for Debut of the Year also translates Georgian literature into German, and is known for dealing with subjects including domestic violence and societal issues for women in her own writing. Guruli was also a finalist for the Litera Prize, another of Georgia's principal literary awards.
Author and translator Iunona Guruli will talk to readers in Frankfurt in a meeting moderated by German writer Susan Schmidt. Photo via tagblatt.de.
Two days later organisers of Bookfest Digital will host a screening of a film featuring Georgian authors to viewers, with the feature introducing the country, its cultural scene and writers.
The film is an attempt to [...] tell more about Tbilisi, Georgia, its ethno-religious-cultural diversity, war, occupation, literary life, places and regions that are historically, culturally, politically or literarily important to Georgia and which may be of interest to those who are about to discover Georgia" - organisers of the Georgian programme
Celebrated and prize-winning personalities of the Georgian scene like Zurab Karumidze, Salome Benidze, Dina Oganova, Davit Gabunia and Archil Kikodze are all part of the film.
Beside the online festival, this year's Frankfurt event will also have its industry platform hosted on the web as International Markets, and the Georgian book market will be available as part of it. The segment is thought of as a place for providing information on local markets for publishers.
The Georgian programme at the 2020 fair is organised by the Writers' House and the Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association, and supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia. The country's literary scene has been represented at the major fair since 2007, and was celebrated with the Guest of Honour status in 2018.
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