A novel written on a mobile phone, Hungarian food and philosophy for children are some of the things to do and learn about at the Taipei International Book Exhibition (台北國際書展), which opens today and runs through Sunday at the Taipei World Trade Center (台北世界貿易中心).
HIGHLIGHTED COUNTRIES
Now in its 24th year, the annual fair features Hungary as its theme country, and it will not only be stacked with the nation’s literature, but will also highlight Hungarian folk music, arts and animation through a series of performances and film screenings as well as an exhibition in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising against Soviet rule in 1956.
Photo courtesy of Taipei International Book Exhibition
Hungarian filmmaker and writer Peter Gardos will discuss Fever at Dawn, a novel based on the real life story of his parents, who survived the Holocaust, at three forums held between Thursday and Sunday.
Celebrated food writer and cooking show host Mautner Zsofia will introduce Hungarian cuisine through several cooking demonstrations at the Hungarian pavilion in Hall 1.
Elsewhere in Hall 1, the French pavilion offers a diverse array of literature this year. One of the featured authors, Romain Puertolas, wrote his first published novel, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir who got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe, on his mobile phone while working as a border guard. The whimsical satire went on to become an international bestseller in 2014.
Oscar Brenifier, on the other hand, is a prominent writer and advocate for philosophical inquiry with children, noted for organizing philosophy workshops for youngsters and adults alike across the world.
Both Puertolas and Brenifier will hold lectures and forums during the six-day book fair.
From the German section, several independent publishing houses, including Spector and Kunstanstifter, will bring their collections of art and design titles. Kunstanstifter’s co-founder, Suse Thierfelder, will discuss issues surrounding independent publishing with Sabine Louali from Les Grande Personnes, an indie children’s book publisher in France.
INDIE POWER
Judging from the number of participants, Taiwan’s independent bookstores and publishing houses have gained an increasingly strong presence. For its third-time participation, Taiwan Association for Independent Bookshop Culture (台灣獨立書店文化協會) features its newly published The History of Taiwanese Bookstores (台灣書店歷史漫步), which dates back to Japanese colonial rule, as well as an annual list of 100 best books selected by 48 independent bookstores on 10 subjects, such as art, architecture and design.
“The best-seller list by large bookstore chains and online retailers can actually limit what people want to read… By participated at the fair, we hope to bring in more diversity,” says the association’s president Chen Long-hao (陳隆昊), who opened the Tonshan Bookstore (唐山書店) and publishing house in 1981.
Books that never make it to the best-seller list also take center stage at the pavilion of Indie Publishers Association in Taiwan (獨立出版聯盟), which has attracted over 30 members since its inception last year.
Titles by 24 independent publishers and four one-person publishing houses in Taiwan as well as five groups from Hong Kong will also be on display. Writers and publishers will discuss works with readers through various talks and other activities held at the pavilion with a decorating idea that revolves around bandoh (辦桌, lit: setting up table), the traditional Taiwanese outdoor banquet typically held at special events such as weddings, festivals and the celebration held one month after the birth of a baby.
“There will be an actual wedding taking place at the booth,” says Liu Gi (劉霽), the association’s co-founder.
“One strength of indie publishers is that we interact and respond to our readers more directly and intimately,” he adds.
ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS
Independent titles aside, serious-minded bibliophiles may want to check out the joint exhibition by 10 national university presses, featuring more than 1,000 academic monographs and other scholarly works that largely focus on literature, history and philosophy.
Hsiang Chieh (項潔) from the National Taiwan University Press says it is the fourth time in the fair’s history that the country’s university presses have joined forces, and the platform has given the participating publishers much needed exchange and visibility.
“Universities in Taiwan haven’t paid much attention to their publishing houses which, more often than not, publish only textbooks. But if university presses don’t publish scholarly works, then no one will. You can’t ask commercial publishers to publish unprofitable books,” Hsiang says.
The joint exhibition will also features 36 lectures by more than 70 scholars discussing everything from academic studies, social issues to popular topics such as animation. Guest speakers include New Zealand psychologist and widely quoted author Michael Corballis, who will share his decades of study on cognitive neuroscience, and noted historian and professor Wong Young-tsu (汪榮祖) from National Central University.
For more information about the book fair, go to the event’s Chinese-English Web site at www.tibe.org.tw.
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