High profile at Liber fair
Greece made a splash last week at the Liber Book Fair in Madrid where it was this year’s guest of honor. «The Spanish media gave us extensive coverage every day,» Greek National Book Center (EKEBI) Director Catherine Velissaris told Kathimerini English Edition, «and all the events we organized attracted audiences of 100-150 people.» Queen Sofia of Spain and Spanish Culture Minister Carmen Calvo were among the many who attended the opening of the Greek stand on October 11. In addition to the contingent of publishers and writers from Greece who attended the fair, key figures who pitched in to help included Nati Galvez, director of the Athens-based European Translation Center (EKEMEL), Vicente Fernandez Gonzalez, director of Modern Greek Studies at Malaga University, and Leandro Garcia Romirez from the Madrid Escuela Oficial de Idiomas, as well as their students, who staffed the stand and acted as interpreters. Efforts to expand the Greek presence in the Spanish-language market is paying off, with more than 30 Greek books translated into Spanish and Catalan in 2004-2005. Adroitly handled, the high visibility afforded by Liber should boost those numbers.
