8th BOOK FAIR(Y) IN ISTRIA
Entering the International Stage
2nd – 12th December 2002
House of Croatian Defenders
From an unassuming, small display of books that rose from the dreams of a handful of people gathered around the bookstore Castropola, the Book Fair became the most prominent manifestation of that kind in Croatia, be it by the number of titles displayed and programs hosted, or by the genuine atmosphere of a book festival.
During the eleven days, 80 programs took place, 150 authors, editors, and translators presented their work, and 270 Croatian publishers displayed 10,500 titles.
For the first time, the Fair hosted a special guest – the Czech Republic – a publishing superpower with 14,000 book titles published on a yearly basis. More than 600 Czech titles were displayed at the Fair, while the renowned Czech writers Michal Viewegh, Ludvik Vaculik, and Jiři Menzel had their book promotions.
Among the numerous foreign guests, these authors stood out: Irvine Welsh, the author of Trainspotting, and Spanish-French writer Fernando Arrabal.
The three central events of the Fair were the following: the International PEN Conference in Pula with the participation of 50 local and foreign authors; International Conference of the Culture Magazines' Editors on the topic "Anti-globalisation Movements in a Cultural Context“, and Librarians' Weekend devoted to the multiculturality in practice.
