Dozens of international authors are to attend the Taipei International Book Exhibition from Feb. 4 to 9, the Taipei Book Fair Foundation said yesterday.
Twelve authors are to attend from South Korea, the event’s guest of honor, the foundation said.
They include Kim Young-ha, whose style has been compared to that of Franz Kafka by critics, it said, adding that Kim is known for works such as I Have the Right to Destroy Myself.
Cho Nam-joo would also be in attendance, the foundation said.
Cho’s novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, was adapted into a film this year, which was released in Taiwan last month, it said.
Kim Tak-hwan, who has written several books on the sinking of the South Korean ferry Sewol in 2014, would be in attendance as well, it said.
Other authors from South Korea include Suzy Lee, who was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration in 2016, as well as Choi Eun-young, So Jae-won, Kang Gyung-hyo, Kim Do-yoon, Seolzzi, Kyung Hye-won, Park Joon and Son won-pyeong, it said.
This year, 29 South Korean publishers would be joining the country’s booth at the exhibition, up from seven last year, Seoul Book Institute president Sun Joo-yeon told a news conference in Taipei.
The publishers specialize in a diverse range of subjects, including education, comics, picture books and literature, he added.
At the booth, titled “K-Style,” organizers would showcase books that have recently been popular in South Korea, Sun said.
These would include 25 recent bestsellers, 25 of the most popular comic books in the past five years, 25 picture books by South Korean illustrators and 10 translated works by Taiwanese authors, he said.
The exhibition would also feature a forum on the publishing industry in South Korea and a performance by South Korean beatmaker Sowall, he said.
The forum, which is to take place on Feb. 5, would offer simultaneous interpretation in English, Chinese and Korean, the foundation said.
Thirty-five other international writers, including Prix Goncourt winner Eric Vuillard, German journalist Ronen Steinke, Polish journalist Witold Szablowski and Japanese manga artist Daisuke Igarashi, would attend the event, it said.
The exhibition, themed “New Horizons of Reading,” is to be held at the Taipei World Trade Center’s Hall 1.
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