Alley of the Book Opens in Sofia

Sofia, 10 sep. /BTA/. Alley of the Book was unveiled in Sofia on Monday evening. Over 140 publishers are participating in the the largest traveling outdoor literary exhibition, which will be on from September 9 to 15 along Vitosha Blvd. and in the park in front of the National Palace of Culture. The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) has a stand at the fair.

On the exhibition's programme are literary readings, premieres of new titles, meetings with authors, and entertaining games for the little ones. Within the festival of non-fiction literature, works will be presented in the following categories - history, art history, cultural tourism, self-discovery and ethnology. Invited are some of the most prominent experts in the field of humanities literature and book publishing.

Opening the fair, Vice President Iliana Iotova said that the reading person is free, independent and not unscrupulous, but tolerant, because he has learned about many destinies and lives. "This person has a different worldview, a different way of looking at people. That is why it is good to encourage our children to read. They should read to be good human beings, to be aware of the line between good and evil, what are the dimensions of human qualities," the Vice President noted.

Iotova argued that the quality of the Bulgarian book is "very high".

Caretaker Culture Minister Nayden Todorov said: "In my childhood we used to say that there are too many people who are not smart enough and the reason for that is probably lack of information. Then the internet was invented. Now everyone has access to information. But what has changed? It turned out that it is not information that makes us smart, it is knowledge. Where do we get knowledge - from books. And what else do books give us besides knowledge? They give us imagination. And, in fact, for me imagination is even more valuable." 

In his words, the fact that 140 publishing houses participate in the Alley of the Book is a light in the tunnel. "And it is not the headlight of an oncoming train. On the contrary. It is the hope for the future," he said.

Desislava Aleksieva, Chair of the Board of the Bulgarian Book Association which organizes the event, explained that this year for the first time there will be a festival of non-fiction - Science, Art and Culture literature.