At the capital's exhibition and congress center "Litexpo"The 25th Vilnius Book Fair opened on Thursday morning, lasting four days.
"We are all united by a passion for books, a passion for reading," the president said at the opening event. Gitanas Nauseda.
He said he has participated in this event more than 20 times.
"Today, it is far from resembling a fair in the narrow sense: buying and selling. Today, it is a relationship between the publisher and the authors, and the connections established between readers, united by a common love for the author," the president said.
G. Nausėda also brought a book from his personal library to the fair – Elementorius, published in the 19th century.
"There are only two copies of this in the world," the president said, pulling the book from his lapel and emphasizing that it was very precious to him.
In his welcoming speech, Social Democrat Minister of Culture Šarūnas Birutis emphasized that books allow society to escape from screens.
"The book community is a place to think about this, the authors, publishers, and translators gathered here play a very important role in pulling us out of the bubbles of digital society," the minister said.
According to the organizers, over the course of a quarter of a century, the fair has not only grown into the most important literary celebration for Lithuanian readers, but also become a true cultural center, to which tens of thousands of book lovers flock every year.
This year, the book fair will welcome readers with the slogan "Kukutis is going to the fair." According to the organizers, Kukutis, created by poet Marcelijus Martinaitis, is considered one of the most popular and well-known characters in contemporary Lithuanian poetry; he embodies the diversity of people and their inner desire for freedom.
According to the organizers, over 500 events will take place in the five halls of the exhibition center during the four days of the fair, including meetings with authors, discussions, and concerts.
The fair will present Laima Lavaste's book "President Gitanas Nausėda: Up Close", which the head of state himself contributed to writing.
The winners of last year's Book Art Competition will also be awarded at the fair.
The Music Hall, which has been operating at the Vilnius Book Fair since 2015 and has become an integral part of the fair, will offer visitors almost 70 events this year.
According to the organizers, this is the largest music fair in the country, bringing together the country's famous performers, music creators, and lovers.
For the convenience of Vilnius residents and city guests, a free bus will run from the center of the capital, taking passengers to the fair from the Cathedral all four days.
As BNS wrote, in 1999, the Baltic Book Fair was organized at the Litexpo Palace, traveling through the capitals of the Baltic states every year.
According to the organizers, it attracted great interest from readers in the capital, so a separate Vilnius Book Fair was organized in 2000.
Author: Vakaris Vingilis
