The Pulitzer Prize-winning US poet Robert Hass will be among the authors attending the 2016 Taipei International Book Exhibition, which is scheduled to open on Tuesday next week.
Hass, who was US poet laureate from 1995 to 1997, will take part in a talk at the six-day fair on Thursday next week with his wife, Brenda Hillman, who is also a poet, according to the Taipei Book Fair Foundation.
Hass’ collection Time and Materials won the 2007 National Book Award and shared the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
Hillman’s collection Practical Water won the 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for poetry.
Other foreign guests scheduled to attend the fair include bestselling Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski, known for his series The Witcher, New Zealand illustrator Donovan Bixley and award-winning Israeli writer Etgar Keret.
Hungary is the theme country of this year’s fair and film director Peter Gados, food show host and cookbook author Mautner Zsofia and musician Mihaly Rosonczy-Kovacs are to make appearances at the Hungarian pavilion.
The pavilion showcases Hungarian folk music and dance performances, embroidery workshops and cooking presentations, as well as the culture, literature and films of the country.
The foundation also highlighted the French and German pavilions this year, saying that they would feature a variety of publications, and that authors and artists would attend book signings and talks, including French writers Muriel Barbery, Oscar Brenifier, Romain Puertolas and Chantal Thomas, and Germany-based designer Wu Yimeng.
The fair will feature an exhibition to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Eileen Chang (張愛玲), one of the most important modern Chinese writers.
The exhibition is to display some of Chang’s personal items and rare manuscripts, photograph albums and paintings. There will also be a series of talks on her life and works, the foundation said.
The Taipei International Book Exhibition is to be held at the Taipei World Trade Center’s Exhibition Halls 1 and 3.
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