The Greek presence at the London Book Fair, which takes place from March 12 to 14, will be dynamic. This marks Greece’s first participation in the event. Since its inception in 1971, the fair has annually welcomed over thirty thousand publishing professionals, enhancing networking and information exchange within the global publishing community.
Preparation for Greece’s participation was coordinated by the Ministry of Culture, as part of the activities of the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Fund, implemented by the Directorate of Letters of the General Directorate of Contemporary Culture of the Ministry.
Approximately 40 Greek publishers and cultural organizations, who responded to the invitation for participation extended by the Ministry of Culture to the publishing sector, will be hosted at the national stand of Greece (Stand 6A110) at Olympia London, the fair’s exhibition and conference center. Over 700 editions in Greek and other languages will be transported and exhibited, including publications from the Ministry of Culture and its supervised bodies, as well as cultural institutions. Translations of Greek books into other languages supported by the GreekLit program will also be presented, covering various categories of Greek literary production. Greece’s multifaceted participation at the London Book Fair will be further complemented by specially designed printed informational material and the presentation of original audiovisual material featuring participating Greek authors.
The professional and cultural program of Greece at the London Book Fair includes active participation in professional seminars and roundtable discussions, as well as the organization of cultural events, both within and outside the exhibition venue. This provides a unique opportunity for visitors to familiarize themselves with the Greek publishing world, promoting networking with authors, publishers, editors, and literary agents. The program is carried out in collaboration with Greek and foreign publishers, members of the European translation network ENLIT (European Network for Literary Translation), GreekLit, the Society of Authors, and other organizations and poetry festivals, representatives of the international writers’ association PEN International, Greek and British poets, non-profit organizations such as the Hellenic Society of Service Providers and the Greek Library of London, with contributions from The Hellenic Center and the Embassy of Greece in London, as well as the British Council in Greece.
The Greek cultural events, with a central thematic axis on translation and contemporary Greek poetry, will feature the participation of a dynamic group of Greek women poets, including the award-winning Phoebe Giannisi, Myrsini Gkana, Krystallia Glyniadaki, Anna Griva, Lena Kallergi, who will be presented alongside their British counterparts, such as Shasha Dugdale and Jennifer Wong.
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A roundtable discussion on the translation of Greek literature will be organized, with the participation of distinguished British authors, translators, and academics specializing in Greek studies at British universities, including David Ricks, Honorary Professor of Modern Greek and Comparative Literature at King’s College, Brian Sneeden, poet, translator, and publisher, lecturer at the Metropolitan University of Manchester, Napoleon Katsos, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Cambridge/Fellow in Linguistics, Trinity College, Cambridge, as well as members of the working group of the GreekLit program for supporting the translation of Greek books into other languages, including Sissy Papathanasiou, Director of the Directorate of Letters of the Ministry of Culture, and Krystallia Glyniadaki, poet and translator.
The Greek delegation, accompanied by 15 Greek publishers, will actively participate in the professional seminars and workshops organized by the London Book Fair at the International Rights Center-Olympia London. They will also engage in scheduled working meetings with other national delegations, literary agents, and representatives of international publishing houses and festivals.
