The new era of books

The 9th Yerevan International Book Festival, held in Yerevan from September 4 to 6, was based on discussions dedicated to language, literature, and translation.

Opinions surrounding the literary work of various creators revolved around the interaction between language and literature, the passage of stories across cultural and linguistic boundaries, as well as the relationship between literary and cinematic language.

A special activity was observed in the field of children’s literature.

Comments on the publication of new books, translations, and unique approaches to children’s literature were followed by workshops with the participation of children.

Interesting discussions were held around the first Armenian edition of John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing,” William Saroyan’s previously unpublished short stories “Everything is Better Than Good Again,” Frank Herbert’s “Dune’s Messiah,” Simon Abgaryan’s play “Penelope, Oh, Penelope,” Armen Sargsyan’s book “Absences,” Lilit Altounyan’s “The Girl Who Could Fly,” a visual history, as well as four new editions of contemporary Armenian prose.

The presentation of Ruben Hakhverdyan’s “Words” collection was marked by the composer’s performances; the hall was packed.

The collection “My Shekoyan”, which summarizes Armen Shekoyan’s poetry, became an interesting topic for discussion thanks to the testimonies of his close friends.

Ani Chobanyan’s first book “Patio” was also presented within the framework of the festival.

The evening program of the festival also included theatrical, musical and poetic events. The opening ceremony featured the National Theater’s performance “E”, based on Vladimir Nabokov’s short story “The Word”.

Aram Avetis, Yer Karin, Hasmik Simonyan, Hamlet Arakelyan, and Narek Kosmos performed at the “Poetic Storm” outdoor poetry program.

The program included around 60 organizations and 54 events, from book presentations and meetings with authors to discussions, master classes, poetry readings, theatrical performances, musical and performance events.

Guests from 13 countries participated in the festival, and publications at the book fair were sold at a 20–40% discount.

The importance of developing the book market was emphasized by Minister of Education, Science and Culture Zhanna Andreasyan during the opening ceremony of the festival.

The Yerevan International Book Festival is a three-day event that attracts a total of about 40,000 visitors.

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan summed up his speech at the opening ceremony with the phrase: “Read, read, read.”