The key facts
- 32 countries took part in the 12th International Book Fair in Baku
- Iranian writer Parinoush Saniee spoke about the worldwide success of her novel The Book of Fate
- Azerbaijani authors discussed children's reading and the role of the book in the digital age
The fair for the twelfth time
Baku hosted the 12th International Book Fair: authors, publishers and readers from 32 countries of Europe, Asia and other regions gathered in the Azerbaijani capital for the twelfth year in a row. According to the organizers and participants featured by Euronews (the story appeared in the outlet's English- and Russian-language versions), the event was dedicated not only to new releases, but also to how literature connects people across languages, generations and borders, as well as to the question of the place of books in a future being reshaped by technology.
A literary backdrop: from Nizami to Fuzuli
The fair's organizers and participants draw on a long tradition: Azerbaijan, situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, gave the Persian-speaking world the 12th-century poet Nizami Ganjavi, and later Muhammad Fuzuli, who wrote within a tradition that developed in several languages. Translations, publishing partnerships and festivals, as Euronews notes, help these stories find audiences far beyond the country of their origin — the fair itself has become one such channel.
The universality of stories: the experience of Saniee and Simpson
Iranian writer Parinoush Saniee, author of the internationally acclaimed novel The Book of Fate about the life of an Iranian woman against the backdrop of decades of personal and political change, said she had expected a response only in the region, but the book's first translation came out in Italian, and the novel became a bestseller in Norway. Euronews quotes her as saying:
Local voices and the future of the book
Azerbaijani authors at the fair discussed how to build reading habits in the digital age. Children's science fiction writer Rayhan Yusifgizi, who has a background in computer science, highlighted two factors: an author should write in a contemporary way and in simple language, but the decisive factor, in her words, remains the parent's example —
