International Book Fair in Kraków® in a brand-new way
Will the Book Fair in Kraków, which will take place between the 14th and 17th of October in EXPO Kraków, be the same as it used to be? No, because the world has changed, and the fair has changed, too. One thing, however, will remain the same – a passion for reading and the need to have contact with literature.
This year, apart from shelves full of books, a remarkably interesting accompanying programme will wait for participants, including the Festival of Fantastic Literature, Festival of Mountain and Tourist Books, Translation Sparring, numerous debates and discussions, and all this in two spheres: stationary and virtual.
Meetings with Fantasy, a magical feast for the imagination
During the upcoming Fair, thanks to the Festival of Fantastic Literature, we will travel to the world of fantasy and science-fiction. Participation in this event has been confirmed, among others, by Mateusz Rogalski, author of the book Ahura Defenders. Accolade based on the experience of RPG games; Franciszek Piątkowski, author of a series of fantasy novels based on Slavic beliefs and myths Powiernik (Trustee); and Paweł Kopijer, author of the Mitrys trilogy, immersive fantasy novels within the Chronicles of the Two Worlds series and the fantasy adventure board game ’Mitrys’. Between these meetings there will be screenings, discussions, and workshops on creating one’s own character. And that is not all – on October 15, during a gala event, the winners of the Fantastyczne zaskoczenie roku (FANTASTIC SURPRISE OF THE YEAR) poll organised by the portal nakanapie.pl will be announced.
Festival of mountain and tourist books
On 16-17 October, the Festival of Mountain and Tourist Books organised by Góry (Mountains) magazine will take place. Well-known Himalayan climbers will appear on scene in the Dunaj Hall, including the guest of honour, Krzysztof Wielicki, who will speak about his passion, mountain adventures, and the role of books in his life. There will be also film screenings and discussion panels. Attractions prepared by the Tatra National Park will wait for both young and old Tatra Mountains enthusiasts, and first aid demonstrations are planned close to the Mountain Volunteer Search and Rescue station. Moreover, on 16 October the 6th International Competition for the ‘Best Publications about the Mountains’ will be decided, organised by the Centre of Mountain Tourism of the Polish Tourist Country-Lovers' Society, the ‘Karpaty’ Publishing House – Andrzej Łączyński, and the Fair in Kraków.
Translators have the floor
An exciting duel of words will be fought by Gabriel Borowski and Wojciech Charchalis, and the judge will be Marta Eloy Cichocka. One text, two translators and two different translations. Who will win this battle? We will find out at the fair.
Dorota Pomadowska, translator of The Flowering Mind, and Monika Skowron, translator of Japanese Art of Drawing Power from Nature, will discuss about translations of psychological literature, popular science books from the holistic trend, and trends in self-awareness, development, psychology and returning to nature. Agnieszka Myśliwy will host the meeting. The organisers also extend their invitation to a panel of Central and Eastern European language translators – A Europe Less Known. This meeting will be hosted by Tomasz Grabiński, translator of Czech and Slovak. How can we translate role-playing games as different as Zew Cthulhu and Equestria: Let Your Imagination Run Wild? Do Equestria and Zew Cthulhu have much in common? Shall RPGs be translated differently than prose or poetry? These and many other questions will be answered by translators Maciej Nowak-Kreyer and Jakub Radzimiński during a conversation about translating role-playing games.
Debates, discussions, reports…
How did the pandemic affect reading needs and habits? What types of books were we reading most often during the lockdown? Did we buy more or fewer books? Answers to these and other questions will be found on the discussion panel ‘Did the Pandemic Raise Reading Levels?’ prepared by the National Library. The participants in this discussion will be Tomasz Makowski, PhD – Director General of the National Library; Roman Chymkowski, PhD – Head of the National Library's Book and Readership Institute; Prof. Grzegorz Nieć – Head of the Information Culture Department of the KEN Pedagogical University in Kraków; and Agnieszka Staniszewska-Mól – Director of the Kraków Library.
Accompanying events
The organisers are pleased to invite visitors to the Lem Zone, the Children's Workshop Zone with a rich programme for the youngest readers, the Board Games Lounge dedicated to board game enthusiasts, and the Catholic Publishers' Lounge, which will be visited, among others, by Magdalena Wolińska-Riedi, author of the bestseller Woman in the Vatican. The fair will also host the social campaign ‘Book for a Book’ organised by Gazeta Wyborcza, the Provincial Public Library in Kraków and the Book Fair in Kraków. The aim is to collect books for libraries in Małopolska.
Sectoral meetings
The Book Fair in Kraków is created not only by its organisers, but by the whole community: publishers, librarians, editors, self-publishers. With all those involved in mind, the Book Fair in Kraków team has prepared a special training programme for industry representatives with the participation of renowned specialists. Piotr Zieliński, a journalist for many years associated with TVN and Good Morning TVN, will talk about how the media market has changed in recent years and what this means for people involved in marketing. On the topic of strategy, action planning in digital marketing and influencer marketing, the participants will talk with experts from Toucan Agency. Karina Caban-Rusinek, publishing marketing expert, will address the question – How to prepare a good promotion plan to give your book a chance to become a bestseller. Izabela Pajor and Magdalena Kos, publishing marketing experts from Silver Guru, will speak about success in creating and selling books for people 50+. All meetings will be a real crème de la crème for public relations people, strategists, digital marketers, and people working in promotion departments.
After a nearly two years break, literature lovers will meet again ‘under the roof’ of EXPO Kraków to spend four pleasant autumn days among bookshelves full of literature.