The 24th edition of the Book Fair in Prishtina has commenced, calling for more promotion of reading. The event opened yesterday in Prishtina, organized by the Publishers’ Association of Kosovo.

“The fair is not just a matter of organization, but evidence of sustainability, resistance, and dedication of publishing houses that, together with authors, create and offer quality content for readers in Kosovo,” said the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports at the 24th edition of the Book Fair, which opened today in Prishtina under the motto “The answer is the book.”

Hajrulla Çeku told KosovaPress that the new generations of authors and literary creators are bringing a fresh spirit, and according to him, this is the main reason why there is no decline in the level of reading.

The Minister of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Arbërie Nagavci, stated that her ministry has undertaken a thorough review of textbooks by working on Albanian language and mathematics texts, so that children grow up with quality and effective texts.

The Municipal Director for Culture in Prishtina, Sibel Halimi, called on writers and readers to promote reading as much as possible, as she believes that the level of reading is declining.

The 24th edition of the Book Fair, organized by the Publishers’ Association of Kosovo (SHBK), is held from June 5th to June 9th, 2024, at the Youth Palace in Prishtina.

The fair features around 100 publishers from Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, and the diaspora, with approximately six thousand titles, including two thousand new titles.

As part of the fair, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Father Zef Pllumi, the 100th anniversary of the death of Franz Kafka, and other activities will be marked, with the distinguished guest being the French writer Eric Faye, winner of the Grand Prize for the novel from the French Academy and the Deux-Margots Prize, and the publication and promotion of Rexhep Qosja’s testament volume, also an honorary guest.

/k.s/