Spring Book Bazaar began in Sofia

The Spring Book Bazaar in Sofia was opened in front of the National Palace of Culture. It is part of the programme of the 5th Sofia International Literary Festival for Children and Youth. The main motto this year’s edition is "Literacy”.

Unfortunately, the results of the PISA tests support our concerns, as well as the research on reading attitudes, which clearly shows that in fact the reading levels are quite low in the under-18 age group," Desislava Alexieva, chairwoman of the board of the Bulgarian Book Association, the event's organiser, told Kultura.BG.

The Bazaar will run from May 30 to June 5, and its guests will be able to visit 60 tents with 140 publishers and get acquainted with more than 15,000 titles.

The rich cultural program of the festival includes meetings with authors, games and various art workshops. A phototype edition of Angel Karaliychev, dedicated to the 120th anniversary of his birth, will also be presented within the programme. The festival will also include a workshop dedicated to the work of Ivan Milev on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the artist's birth.

The special guest of the festival will be the Czech author of fiction, Martin Vopenka, often compared to the writer of "Game of Thrones" George R.R. Martin. His work is aimed specifically at a young audience.

"We invite all residents and guests of the capital to a meeting with the book, a meeting with Bulgarian authors, a meeting with spirituality. Together, let's fly on the wings of books!", Desislava Alexieva appealed.