Moscow hosts 35th International Book Fair

The 35th annual International Book Fair was held in Moscow. The participants of the event presented classics, bestsellers and novelties - hundreds of thousands of items and dozens of stands.

One was dedicated to China and decorated with lanterns in the traditional style. The stand offered books on topics ranging from culture and art to the development of modern technology. More than 400 publications were waiting for visitors to the stand.

Participants in this year's fair include delegations from Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Iran and other countries.

"Russian readers are showing interest, we see it here and on other stands. On the whole, only a fraction of what could be of interest to Russian readers has been translated into Russian. You could say it's an untouched layer that needs to expand. Over the decades, we have produced a lot of literature that could be of interest to Russia," said Ali Mahdavi, vice-chairman of the Green Palm Institute.

Exhibitions and presentations are also part of the fair, as is the announcement of the results of the Book of the Year competition. This year's Grand Prix went to the "Collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts" album. The winner outdid more than half a thousand applicants. The publication has been in the works for a number of years.

Lectures, master classes were held simultaneously at 10 venues. Visitors could appreciate new ideas from writers and, more broadly, trends in the literary market. 

"Today it seems that fiction is on the rise again. The growth in interest in non-fiction is constant, and has also continued in recent years. Look at the programme, you'll find quite a lot of poetry, which shows that a genre that has been forgotten a bit unfairly is also reviving," said Andrey Gelmiza, director of the Moscow International Book Fair.

Photo: TV BRICS