For the first time, Italy will be the guest of honour at the 21st edition of the Thessaloniki International Book Fair (TBF), the most important event in Greece dedicated to literature and publishing, organised by the Hellenic Book and Culture Foundation (ELIVIP), scheduled from 8 to 11 May, at the TIF- Helexpo exhibition centre. The relevant agreement was signed by the director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Athens, Francesco Neri, the director of the ICE Athens Office, Fabrizio Camastra, and the president of ELIVIP, Nikos Bakounakis.
For the Italian Ambassador to Athens, Paolo Cuculi, this is a "reason for great satisfaction" and "an important opportunity to further strengthen the already solid and fertile cultural relations between Italy and Greece," reads a statement. "The presence of great Italian authors next May in Thessaloniki will allow the Greek public to meet some of the most significant personalities of contemporary literature from our country," said Cuculi.
The president of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture, Nikos Bakounakis, recalled the "enormous tradition of Italian authors and texts" that "have marked our tastes and readers' behaviour" and explained that "translations of Italian literary works into Greek are growing strongly, from 84 titles in 2019 to 122 in 2023".
The Italian participation is made possible thanks to the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation with the Italian Embassy in Athens and the Italian Cultural Institute in Athens, the Ministry of Culture with the Centre for Books and Reading, ICE - Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalisation of Italian companies, and the collaboration of the Italian Publishers' Association.
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