THIS YEAR'S PROGRAMMES
The ten days of the Fair(y) and its more than a hundred programmes, book promotions and author presentations, roundtables, panel discussion, symposiums, exhibitions, performances, films, concerts focus on 1914 and comic book. Contemporary analysis of ‘1914’ and ‘comic book’ in their historical and cultural contexts is specially designed in the theme-related programmes: The World of Yesterday, Pula is Crowded, Herrenhof Café, ‘Young Bosnia’ in Exile and The World of Yesterday in a Comic Book.
This year’s 20th Fair(y) is celebrating its birthday with almost all of its traditional programmes. New literary titles, new author presentation models, roundtables, fruitful discussions about books, literature, culture and society, as well as side programmes with film screenings, concerts, exhibitions, performances will be part of the programmes Breakfast with the Author, Berti’s Programme: Love at Second Sight, Twilight Reading, Talking Behind the Curtain, Istria Under the Skin, Authors Reading Authors, Film Festival, The White and Black Seas and The Other Coast / L’altra costa, which traditionally make Pula’s Book Fair(y) so unique and recognisable.
Symposiums and conferences are again this year included in the events and are scheduled for the Fellowship Programme – Book Folks and the International Conference on Publishing – Trends and Contexts focusing on Digital Authors and E-books.
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTIONS
The World of Yesterday
The Fair’s central programme The World of Yesterday opens a discussion about the events that preceded 1914, about the geopolitical, social and cultural change after the Great War and about its impact on the contemporary world where, unfortunately, some events uncannily resemble the frightful times a century back. The most important names of the Central European cultural scene, contemporary writers, historians, intellectuals, cultural scientists, artists, mainly from the former Austro-Hungarian countries, will debate on 1914, its marks, consequences, and reflections on the contemporary world.
The World of Yesterday in a Comic Book
Pula’s festival of books and authors opens its doors to comic book, the unjustly neglected medium which conceals an entire cosmos of interesting stories in both image and word. How much comic book is alchemy and how much a craft, we will discuss with local and foreign authors, true masters of their trade, but also with local comic book publishers, probably the most romantic lunatics of literary publishing in Croatia. A brilliant guest from Canada, Nina Bunjevac, will attend the programme, as well as the always entertaining Belgrade guest AleksaGajić, French authors Kris and Mael, and local powerhouses – Igor Kordej and DarkoMacan.
Pula is Crowded
The programme Pula is Crowded, whose title we owe to a traditional poem and its maker, the great Istrian intellectual, scholar and poet MijoMirković – Mate Balota, for the first time directly and straightforwardly focuses the interest on its city – Pula. The programme covers cultural, sociological, anthropological, urban and other studies on the city, the former largest Austro-Hungarian military port.
‘Young Bosnia’ in Exile
The central theme of this year’s Fair(y) naturally imposed the need to focus a part of the programme on the cultural scene of Bosnia and Herzegovina and city of Sarajevo, which left a permanent mark and was also permanently marked by 1914 in world history. Young Bosnian authors living outside Bosnia but writing continually about Bosnia and Sarajevo will be presented in the section ‘Young Bosnia’ in Exile.
Herrenhof Café
The programme named after the cult Viennese café, Herrenhof Café, visited by famed artists like Joseph Roth, Karl Kraus, Herman Broch and many others, symbolically and nostalgically reminisces of the time when the connection between artists and cafés was part of daily life, places where art was lived and created.
Roundtables
Different positions of perceiving and interpreting the subject matter and focus opened up a possibility to host at the 20thFair(y) the largest number of roundtables discussing the pre-war, wartime, and post-war era. From a political, historical, artistic and cultural point of view, these issues will be discussed about by renowned Croatian and foreign writers and scholars. The World of Yesterday, the notion of assassination, Trieste, Rijeka and Pula, important cities and ports of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are some of the reference points the participants will touch on at the roundtables. One will be dedicated to the readers, as a tribute to the Fair(y)’s 20th birthday.
Breakfast with the Author
Outside any strict protocol, but with high professional demands, Breakfast with the Author is a programme that brings authors and their work together with readers in the best possible way. The programme has been held in an unbroken series since 2001. ModeratorVojoŠiljak and his guest authors will again this year‘shake up’ the demanding central theme once again in a recognisably casual and interesting way.
Berti’s Programme: Love at Second Sight
In memory of Albert Goldstein, the renowned Croatian publisher, editor, writer, translator and Fair(y)'s great friend, Berti's Programme: Love at Second Sight was established in collaboration with the Croatian P.E.N. Centre in 2007. Berti’s colleagues and friends call on you to read the titles that have been unjustly denied media attention. Books saved from oblivion and chosen to be read refer to the central topic of the 20th Fair(y).
Twilight Reading
Twilight Reading is a programme presenting literary publishing endeavours in the passing year, with an accent on the very recently published works, fresh from the mint and still unknown to the public. A dialogue between colleagues, authors, publishers, translators and literary critics, will acquaint the audience with the titles to mark the current year in publishing and provide the visitors with a complex insight in the recommended works.This year’s Twilight pays special attention to poetry. Twilight Readingwill present the contemporary Bosnian poets Marko Vešović, AsmirKujović and Almin Kaplan.
Talking Behind the Curtain
Along with the latest editions, the programme offers a series of professional and critical discussion with exceptional essayists, connoisseurs of philosophy, history, anthropology, sociology and other disciplines whose considerations move away from the mainstream mentality’s banality and provide a broader platform for a constructive discussion on daily life which the man of today is more a slave of than a creator.
Istria Under the Skin
The artistic Istria, the one ‘under the skin’, aloof and always a bit mysterious, with which BoškoObradović laid the foundations to the Fair(y) of today, will be presented at this year’s anniversary edition with the latest editions of Istrian publishers, with Istrian authors, and with those who directly or indirectly refer to Istria in their books.
The White and Black Seas and The Other Coast / L’altracosta
Collaborations, acquaintances and friendships made at the 18thFair(y) between Turkish, Italian and Croatian literary scene successfully continue. The section The White and Black Seas and The Other Coast / L’altra costa, taking place for the third year in a row hosts Turkish, Italian and Croatian scholars and writers, discussing about 1914 from their historical, cultural and national points of view.
Authors Reading Authors
The programme successfully presented and well accepted at the last year’s Fair(y), Authors Reading Authors, is an innovative model of presenting books and authors. The latest editions of famous writers are presented in the form of a debate of two authors mutually presenting each other.
