THE INTERNATIONAL İSTANBUL BOOK FAIR OPENS

Organized by TÜYAP Fairs in partnership with the Turkish Publishers Association, the 36th International Istanbul Book Fair will be held between November 4 and 12, 2017 at the TÜYAP Fair and Convention Center, Büyükçekmece.

This year's Guest of Honor is Korea, and the Fair will be celebrating its 36th year with 820 publishers and nongovernmental organizations and over 295 events including interviews, panel discussions, poetry recitals and children's activities.

The Olive Tree in the Poster and "Glad to Have You, Literature"

Legend says that the olive tree is immortal. Its roots and trunk are ageless. Tired branches may be pruned from time to time. From the immortal trunks sprouts new life. The deep-set roots of literature is the source of life for new poems, novels, stories - hopes. This year's theme of the Fair, “Glad to have you, Literature” reminds us of the importance of literature in our lives, and sets the scene for a meticulous event program and tens of thousands books for its readers.

Writer of Honor Ayla Kutlu

Ayla Kutlu, the Writer of Honor of the 36th International Istanbul Art Fair, will meet her readers at panel discussions and interviews during the fair. The fair will also feature an exhibition titled “Ayla Kutlu: The Writer for the Other Half of Humanity" consisting of select texts, photographs, and the homage book prepared for Ayla Kutlu.

Korea: The Two Ends of the Silk Road

Korea, the Guest of Honor of the Book Fair, will promote Korean culture and publishing industry under the theme "The Two Ends of the Silk Road: Turkey and Korea" to commemorate the 60th year of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Korea. Attending the Book Fair will be Korean writers whose titles have been or about to be translated to Turkish. Events will feature writers Ch’oe Yun (The Grey Snowman) and Kim Ae-ran, Son Hong-gyu (The Muslim Butcher), Lee Seong-Bok, Chun Yang Hee and Ahn Do-hyun (The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher) in addition to poets Chun Yang-hee and Lee Seong, whose poems have been translated to Turkish by translators in Erciyes University.

The logo for Korea, a stylized book, also contains the five traditional colors of Korea.

The Korean Pavilion in Hall 1 will be home to a number of special exhibitions that promote Korean culture and publishing. Exhibitions will inlcude Korean Illustration Books, Translated Korean Literary Works, Titles Introducing Korean Culture, E-books, Manhwa (manga) and Webtoons, all of which will help readers gain a closer understanding of the Korean culture.

The Korean Pavilion in Hall 1 will be opened with a traditional Korean dance performance shortly after the official opening ceremony of the fair on Saturday, November 4, and events will continue throughout the day.

International Guests at TÜYAP

Visiting this year's Istanbul Book Fair will be 18 foreign writers and guests. Fabián Escalante Font and his journalist wife Teresita Candia Ferreyra (Cuba), who were by Fidel Castro's side until his death; the leading Colombian writer Carlos Granes; children's books writer Margriet Ruurs (Netherlands) and Dmitry Glukhovsky (Russia).

Guests taking part in panel discussions on November 4 and 5 include International Publishers Association (IPA) Freedom to Publish Committee Chair Kristenn Einarsson (Norway), Deutsche Welle editor-in-chief Ines Pohl (Germany), and authors Monika Rinck and Matthias Göritz (Germany).

Glenn Meade, a renowned Irish writer of detective novels, will be at Tüyap on Saturday, November 11 as a guest of Kırmızı Kedi Publishing for an interview and autograph session.

Another panel discussion will be attended by Theodoros Terzopoulos, the "living legend of ancient Greek tragedies" who is in Istanbul as a guest of the Istanbul Theater Festival, who will share his experiences as the founder of the Attis Theater.

The panel will be hosted by Habitus Books, Istanbul Culture and Arts Foundation and TÜYAP on Sunday, November 12, and moderated by Kerem Karaboğa.

PISA Panel and the Importance of Educational Publishing

Istanbul Book Fair will hold a panel discussion hosted by the Turkish Publishers Association and TÜYAP on Sunday, November 5 to discuss and compare PISA 2015 results across countries with a view towards emphasizing the importance of educational publishing. The panel will be moderated by Batuhan Aydagül from the Education Reform Initiative in Turkey, and sharing their experiences will be Lee Fei Chen from Singapore, Teuvo Sankila from Finland, and Antti Rammo from Estonia.

Colombian literature visits TÜYAP

Colombia will be taking part in the Book Fair for the first time this year, and the Colombian booth will be available in the International Hall between November 4 and 7, 2017.

Hosted events will include the screening of "Gabo: The Creation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez" on the life and work of one of the most prominent writers of Colombia and the world.

Following the screening on Saturday, November 4, Colombian writers Carlos Granés and Juan Alfredo Pinto Saavedra, also the Colombian Ambassador to Turkey, will take questions from the floor.

International Hall and Professional Meetings

Inaugurated in 2010 to provide a medium for professional meetings and cooperation in the publishing industry, the International Hall will be open between November 4 and 7, 2017 in Hall 1. Exhibitors this year include Guest of Honor Korea as well as Germany, China, Romania, Colombia, Qatar, India, Azerbaijan, FYRO Macedonia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Hungary, and Serbia.

On Monday, November 6, Germany will hold a panel discussion titled “By the German Model: Fixing Book Prices for a Strong and Varied Book Market” followed by a meeting of Korean and Turkish publishers, and roundtables on Literature, Translation, Copyright Trading, Children's and Youth Publishing, and Cartoon Publishing.

Two Fairs in One

As always, ARTİST 2017 / 27th Istanbul Art Fair organized by TÜYAP Fairs under the theme of "Utopia" will be held concurrently with the Istanbul Book Fair this year.

Admission is free for students, teachers, retirees and disabled persons.  Regular admission is TL 5. All visitors are reminded that tickets are sold in the convention center ticket offices only and are requested to refrain from buying illegitimate tickets sold outside.

The Istanbul Book Fair will be open between 10 am and 7 pm during the week and between 10 am and 8 pm on the weekend. The fair will close at 7 pm on Sunday, November 12.

With regards
TÜYAP Fairs