News

14.03.2019

Polish Book Institute at the International Book Fair in Paris

The Book Institute will once again participate in the Livre Paris fair, which begins on Friday. This biggest book event in France attracts more than 160,000 visitors every year, who can take part in meetings organised on 10 thematic stages (Europe, Criminal, Agora, Comics and Manga, Young Adults, Audiobooks, Science for all), collect an autograph from their favourite author (and there are 3900 of them at the fair), and, of course, buy books at one of 391 stands of exhibitors from over 50 countries.

This year the honorary guest of the fair is Europe, the city of honour- Bratislava, and the special guest - the Sultanate of Oman. While Bratislava focuses rather on the promotion of Slovak literature (authors also known in Poland, such as Hvorecky, Rankov, Vilikovsky), Oman focuses rather on the promotion of various fields of culture.

The Polish stand (H 116) is part of the European programme. It is located near the Europa stage, where author meetings will take place, including those with the participation of Magdalena Parys and Grażyna Plebanek, whose books have recently been published in France.

Released at the beginning of the year, Magik (“The Magician”, Agullo publishing house, translated by Margot Carlier and Caroline Raszka Dewez) has received excellent reviews in the French press. This is the author's second book with this publishing house (after Tunel [“Tunnel”], translated by the same duo and published in 2017). Both books were published thanks to the support of the Book Institute as part of the ©POLAND Translation Programme. Pani Furia (“Furie”) by Grażyna Plebanek was published at the end of January by Emmanuelle Collas publishing house, translated by Cécile Bocianowski.

As part of the European presentation, there is also an exhibition devoted to "New voices from Europe", which will present the profiles of three Polish authors: Magdalena Parys, Weronika Murek, and Szczepan Twardoch. Translations of European literature into French (including books by Polish authors) will also be available at the fair’s European Bookshop.

What will surely arouse great interest is the discussion of Krzysztof Warlikowski and translator Margot Carlier devoted to Hanna Krall's work.

At the Polish stand in Paris, there will be presented books from the New Books from Poland catalogue. Throughout the fair, the Polish Bookshop in Paris will be selling Polish literature in the original and translations into French.

The crowning glory of the stand will certainly be a mural designed by Joanna Rzezak. Visitors to the Polish stand will also be able to participate in a number of meetings and discussions organised by the Polish Institute in Paris.

On the occasion of the Paris Book Fair, a bilingual edition of the anthology of Old Polish poetry Rzeczpospolita Sarmacka (“Sarmatian Republic”) edited by Jacek Kowalski and translated by Anna Drzewicka, which was published by the Dębogóra publishing house, will also be promoted.

It will include a discussion on Republican values ‘yesterday and today’ with the participation of Prof. Chantal Delsol and Prof. Jacek Kowalski in the Polish Library, as well as the presentation of the book itself, which will be accompanied by a concert using period instruments performed by J. Kowalski and H. Kasperczak at the Scientific Station of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Paris and at the book fair.

Livre Paris 2019 will run until Monday, March 18.

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Below we present our programme at the International Book Fair in Paris

Friday, 15th March

European libraries: "a 'criminal' journey across Europe

14.00 - 15.00 > "Europe" Stage.

The three novelists talk about their favourite crime novels and about how they influenced their work.

Hannelore Cayre - novelist, screenwriter, and director, author of La Daronne (Métailié), Olivier Truc, journalist and writer, author of Le cartographe des Indes boréales (Métailié), and Magdalena Parys, author of Magik (Agullo).

Chaired by Eric Libiot, Editor-in-Chief of the Culture section of the L'Express weekly

Signing books: Magdalena Parys

15.00 - 16.00 > Polish stand H116

Saturday, 16th March

Signing books: Isabelle Macor

14.30 > Pays de la Loire Stand E 59

Translator Isabelle Macor will sign her translations of volumes of poems by Jakub Kornhauser and Ewa Lipska.

New voices / European Odyssey

15.00 – 16.00 > "Europe" Stage

How can we better grasp the different faces of Europe than travelling through it? When through literature, we get to know the landscapes, people, and stories that make up today's Europe. A romantic journey through the old continent to discover its richness and diversity.

Emmanuel Ruben (Payot), Gregor Sander (Quidam éditeur), and Grażyna Plebanek (Editions Emmanuelle Collas). Chaired par Alexandra Schwartzbrod

Signing books: Grażyna Plebanek

16h - 16h30 > "Europe" Stage

16h30 - 17h > Polish stand H116

Geopolitics of criminal novels / How the Cold War is being reborn

17.00 - 18.00 > Polar scene (criminal)

Historical crime stories, spy books, geopolitical thrillers: a crime story can be an excellent way to read the world and the various upheavals it experiences.

Participants: Víctor del Árbol (Actes Sud), Magdalena Parys (Agullo), Dmitry Glukhovsky (L’Atalante).

Chaired by Alexandra Schwartzbrod, Libération

Signing books: Magdalena Parys

18.00 – 19.00 > Agullo Editions Stand F83

Masterclass / Literature on stage

18.00 – 19.30 > Grande scène

A unique masterclass event of Krzysztof Warlikowski, the main topic of which will be texts by Hanna Krall, a Polish writer and drama author, as well as screenplays by K. Kieślowski. Discussion with the famous theatre director, interwoven with reading excerpts of works.

Krzysztof Warlikowski and Margot Carlier (translator)

Monday, 18th March

To be a European emigrant in Europe

15.00 – 16.00 > "Europe" Stage

The two authors will talk about their childhood under the shadow of communism, about the past that still emerges from their books, and about later life on the other side of the former Iron Curtain. What role does this past play today? Has it disappeared with the fall of the Berlin Wall? Does one always remain a European from the East or the West?

Participants: Magdalena Parys (Agullo) and Elitza Gueorguieva (Verticales)

Chaired by Marie-Madeleine Rigopoulos

Signing books: Magdalena Parys

16.00 – 17.00 > "Europe" Stage