Greece displays its literary face
Just a few months before the Athens Olympic Games of August 13-29, Greece will have the opportunity to present its literary face to the international public as the guest country of honor at the 2004 Turin International Book Fair, being held at the city’s Lingotto Fiere exhibition center from Thursday to next Monday, May 10. The Greek stand will cover an area 335 square meters in the exhibition hall and is split into thematic units encompassing some 350 titles from a broad range of the most recent publications, offering a clear illustration of trends in the Greek book market. Events in honor of the guest country will kick off tomorrow evening at the historical Teatro Carignano in the city center with the presence of Deputy Culture Minister Petros Tatoulis. The keynote address will be delivered by Dimitris Nollas and the event will end with a jazz concert by Italy’s Enrico Rava. Greek novelists and poets will be presenting their work from Thursday to Saturday. The writers chosen by the organizing committee in Greece are Petros Markaris, Amanda Michalopoulou, Giorgos Skabardonis, Ersi Sotiropoulou, Thanasis Heimonas and Christos Homenidis. The special guests of the Turin book fair are Vassilis Vassilikos (author of the late 1960s political thriller «Z»), Panos Karnezis (author of «Little Infamies: Stories») and Mara Meimaridi (author of «The Witches of Smyrna»), while the guests of the Crocetti publishing house are Zyranna Zatelli and Pavlos Matesis. Thursday evening at the Sala Azzurra (Blue Room) has been set aside for Greek poets, with readings and presentations of works by Katerina Anghelaki-Rook, Roula Alavera, Nassos Vagenas, Haris Vlavianos, Elisa Biagini, Ermanno Krumm, Vivian Lamarque and Tiziano Rossi. The music for the evening will be provided by Cretan crooner Loudovikos ton Anogeion and singer Evanthia Reboutsika. Also during the fair a series of lectures and round-table discussions will be held on the influence of the classics on contemporary culture and, more generally, their future role in literature and culture. Photographs Another highlight is a large exhibition of photographs by Italian artist Giovanni Giovannetti, curated by Maurizio De Rosa, showing the portraits of 201 Greek writers, including Miltos Sachtouris in Athens, Dimitris Aggelis in Sounion, Menis Koumandareas at the Panathenaic Stadium and Zyranna Zatelli on Philopappou Hill. The official opening of the Greek stand, to be inaugurated by Tatoulis, will be held this Thursday at noon and followed by a reception held by the City of Turin for guests and the press, while the closing ceremony on the evening of May 10 will feature a concert by Dionysis Savvopoulos. Information is available at www.fieralibro.it.
