With the participation of more than 300 publishers from 23 Arab and foreign countries, the 35th edition of the Tunis International Book Fair is set to run until April 14, 2019 under the theme “We read to live twice”. This year’s edition focuses on individual freedoms and equality as a general theme for cultural events and accompanying intellectual seminars.
The Fair’s Organizing Committee offered a 20% discount on participation fees for publishers of the Arab Publishers Union, with the aim of “making Tunisia one of the largest book hubs in the Arab world, and supporting Arab publishers in performing their cultural and civilizational mission”, said novelist Shukri Mabkhout, Director of Tunis International Book Fair.
This year’s edition celebrates the centennial of the late Tunisian writer Al-Bashir Kharif, known as “the father of the Tunisian novel”, as well as the writer Mohamed Marzouki. It also commemorates the 150th anniversary of the death of the French poet Charles Baudelaire. The Fair will witness intellectual encounters and evenings for the short story and poetry, and many film shows including eight films inspired by famous novels.