Azerbaijan demonstrates its literary heritage at 62nd Bologna Children's Book Fair

Azerbaijan has proudly showcased its literary heritage at the 62nd annual Bologna Children's Book Fair (BCBF) with the support of the Culture Ministry.

The book fair attracted publishing houses, authors, and illustrators from over 150 countries.

The Azerbaijani delegation included Deputy Culture Minister Farid Jafarov, as well as notable writers Solmaz Amanova and Bahram Bagirzade.

The national stand displayed over 200 book copies across more than 160 titles, representing Azerbaijani publishers such as "??rq-Q?rb," "Libra Kitab," "Q?l?m," "Everest," "T?hsil," "Aspoliqraf," "Altun Kitab," "Qanun," "Ting," "Oskar," "Z?ka Print," and "Radius."

Throughout the fair, the Azerbaijani delegation engaged in numerous collaborative events, including productive meetings with their Turkish counterparts and discussions with publishing representatives, children's authors, and illustrators from countries like the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Italy, Poland, Canada, and the Netherlands.

These conversations focused on enhancing cooperation within the realms of literature and publishing.

In celebration of the Novruz holiday, an engaging event demonstrating Azerbaijan's vibrant national traditions was hosted, providing attendees with rich insights into the country's history, culture, literature, and book art.

Furthermore, Deputy Culture Minister Farid Jafarov also held a significant meeting with Elena Pasoli, the head of the Bologna International Children's Book Fair's organizing committee, where they explored opportunities for collaboration between the Bologna Book Fair and the Baku International Book Fair, as well as potential experience exchanges.

The book fair also featured presentations of works by Azerbaijani authors, alongside invaluable networking sessions for local publishing houses to connect with international colleagues.

The Bologna Children's Book Fair is known as the foremost professional event for children's literature globally. Established in 1963, it takes place annually for four days in either March or April in Bologna, Italy.

This fair serves as a vital gathering for professionals engaged in the creation and publication of children's books, primarily facilitating the buying and selling of rights for translations and adaptations into other media, such as films or animated series.

The 62nd edition of the Bologna Children's Book Fair (BCBF) took place at the BolognaFiere Exhibition Centre from March 31 to April 3 and coincided with BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus), an event for general publishing organized in partnership with the Association of Italian Publishers (AIE)as well as the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/Kids), which targets the realm of children's branding.

Together, these three Bologna events create a tightly knit network, representing a true ecosystem that encompasses all publishing sectors and more.

This year's fair expanded its business offerings with new areas aimed at capturing emerging market segments, thus providing exhibitors and visitors with broader opportunities to develop publishing content across new media platforms.

Approximately 1,500 exhibitors from 90 different countries and regions participated this year, with first-time attendees from Albania, Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Iceland, Madagascar, Malta, North Macedonia, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

The event was made possible thanks to the support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the ITA-Italian Trade Agency, which aim to foster business opportunities between local and international publishing entities.