About

BACKGROUND

The Thessaloniki Book Fair goes back 17 years. It was organized for the first time in 2004  by the National Book Center of Greece, and in 2014 the Hellenic Foundation for Culture took over its organization. Since the first day of its inception it has been a cultural institution with great importance and originality, that has gradually evolved into a major institution for the book in Greece, being the only annual meeting point of all professionals of the book industry: publishers, authors, translators, librarians, etc.

The Thessaloniki Book Fair has a dual character: it is a commercial/ professional event and a festival. Due its latter feature, it has gained a lot of attention and attracts tens of thousands of visitors who come each year to the premises of TIF-HELEXPO to attend 500 events approximately that take place within four days, to visit the stands of about 300 exhibitors, to meet 30-40 foreign writers and listen to over 700 speakers, among whom can be found a lot of distinguished Greek writers and members of the academic community.

WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE HELLENIC FOUNDATION FOR CULTURE

The long-awaited digital Thessaloniki Book Fair has been a major challenge for the HFC, as all its employees and executives have contributed their knowledge and interest making a concerted effort to achieve the most favorable outcome. The complexity of this venture requires an innovative attitude and a modern organizational strucutre. The transition to the new digital age is a fact, and the new path that emerged from the unparalleled circumstances in the wake of the pandemic constitutes the new reality for the world of books.

The digital Thessaloniki Book Fair cannot compensate for the lack of the human presence, the warmheartedness of the human contact. However, it considerably enhances our potential for getting in touch with the work and the way of thinking of important writers overcoming the barrier of travel. As a consequence, the TBF defies the boundaries of space, and for the first time a digital record of the book fair will be created, an invaluable record of memory and continuity.

In the two studios in Thessaloniki and in Athens there have been scheduled more than 200 events that cover all the thematic areas of the Book Fair. A major novelty is the parallel translation of all discussions that are scheduled to be held, so that book lovers from abroad can watch any event they like. It is our hope that this will have a favorable impact on the Greek book.

I would like to express my warmest thanks to all conscientious workers of the TBF, and to all those who responded favorably to this new digital venture. Their trust is the proof of the strong bonds that have been formed on the grounds of our common goal; to serve the book.

It is a great honor for the Hellenic Foundation for Culture that the Thessaloniki International Book Fair is being held under the patronance of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Ms Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and she is expected to deliver a welcome address speech at its opening ceremony.

We would also like to thank all the media for their sponsorships and their support to this organization.

Nikos A. Koukis
President of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture

 

WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE THESSALONIKI BOOK FAIR

One would reasonably wonder how a digital fair could be of any use to the book; the book that adedicated reader wants to flip through on abookshop counter, to smell it, to read its back cover, to put it back where it was, then come back, take it to the checkout and finally at home.

The answer lies in the words. Words, whether printed, spoken by a writer standing in front of youor spoken live through a screen have the same power. Their power is autonomous and self-contained; it derives from the style and the ways a good author chooses to convey his/her meaning through them and then launch them before our eyes or into our ears.

Words have the power of imagery, not because they are fake –although this can also be the case sometimes– but because they can build images. In other words, they are representational. In this case, we find ourselves before images that do not restrain our imagination. Words have the power to set our imagination free, to unleash images that can prevail over the power of the image that generated them. This is exactly the bet to be set for such a book fair; to prevail over the torpidity that accompanies the picture, to reproduce images that generate expectation for creativity, images that provoke our inquiring Self.

All else will be judged by time. The time that comes to a standstill in the midst of a pandemic, the time that turns into eternity inside the refugee boats, the time that rearranges our outlook on important collective existential facts, as was the year 1821 for Greece, the time that transforms memory, that changes the meaning of what it is to be a child or young, the time that breathes new life to the voices of the next literary generations, that makes translations go old, that probes for new ways of expression and discovers them, as happened with literary performance. These are the dimensions of time that the Book Fair struggles against, year after year, in the hope that this tough negotiation enhances it.

Manolis Piblis
Director of the 17th TBF

CREDITS

The 17th T.B.F is held under the patronance of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Ms Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
 
HFC PRESIDENT: Nikos Α. Koukis

HFC EXECUTIVE BOARD
Nikos A. Koukis, President of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture
Andreas Sideris, Vice-President of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture
Ilias Polymenidis, Board Treasurer of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture

MEMBERS
Foivos Georgios Angeletos
Maria Efthymiou
Georgios Kaloudis
Louisa Karapidaki
Alexandros Mallias
Andreas Markantonatos
Charalampos Meletiadis
Ioannis Polychronopoulos
Dionysios Tselentis
Fani Chatziathanasiadou
 
TBF ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Nikos A. Koukis, President of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture
Andreas Sideris, Vice-President of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture
Ilias Polymenidis, Board Treasurer of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture
Maro Palaiologou, Communication Management Consultant
Anastasios Tzikas, President of TIF-HELEXPO
Sokratis Doris, Managing Director of the Cultural Center of the Region of Central Macedonia, Member of the Regional Council of Thessaloniki
Maria Karagianni, Deputy Mayor of Culture & Tourism of the Municipality of Thessaloniki

PROJECT TEAM
Director of the 17th TBF: Manolis Piblis
Project Production Coordinator: Nopi Chatzigeorgiou
Art direction – Project Management: Katerina Kouskoura
Cultural Program Organization- Event Flow: Vassilis Kimoulis
Events for Children, Teenagers & Teachers: Evi Gerokosta
Thematic Events – 17th TBF Website Content Curation – Event Flow: Lena Matsiori
Literary Performance Festival – Thematic Events: Pavlina Chatzigeorgiou
New Writers’ Festival: Katerina Iliopoulou
Translation Festival: Avgi Daferera
Greek-German Professionals’ Meetings, Greek-Russian Year of Language and Literature: Nopi Chatzigeorgiou
Publicity, Promotion & Communication: Kiriaki Tsolaki
Creative directors: Yannis Kouroudis, Menelaos Kouroudis
17th TBF Website Design & Development: k2 design
Web Event Organization &Technical Support: a&bgroup
Translation: Anastasia Lampropoulou
Editing & Proofreading: Katerina Dourida

Technical Support & Website Management: Lefteris Bletsas
Technology & E-Governance Consultant: Vassilis Economou
 
Organization & Promotion of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture:
Konstantina Argeitakou, Afroditi Kafetsi
 
Social Media Management:
Department of Communication and Digital Media, University of Western Macedonia
Digital Media & Strategic Communication Laboratory
(Scientific director: Anastasia Giannakopoulou)

With the support and cooperation of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (Directorate of Letters)
The event is co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund).
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