Held under the auspices of the UN Year of indigenous languages, and honouring the 650th anniversary of the celebrated Azerbaijani poet Imadeddin Nasimi, the 4th Eurasian Literary Festival of Festivals will be held in Baku from September 30 through October 3.
The event is organised by the Eurasian Peoples` Assembly and the International Humanitarian Foundation “LiFFt” of the Russian Federation, with additional support within Azerbaijan this year from the Heydar Aliyev Center, the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, “Soz” Literary project and the Baku Book Center.
Last year’s event was held in Russia’s Black Sea resort Sochi.
More than 150 writers from 52 countries are expected to attend the Baku incarnation of the Eurasia Festival, which makes the audacious claim to represent over 500 billion people (the combined populations of Europe and Asia).
The reality of course is that these festivals are localised events that will pass largely unnoticed across the rest of Europe and Asia, but are no less important for that.
Earlier this year Azerbaijan made its first appearance at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair as part of a project to achieve “Recognition of the Azerbaijan Book in the World”.
Meanwhile the 6th Baku International Book Fair opened earlier today with the Minister of Culture, Abulfas Garayev, asserting that publishing in Azerbaijan is “actively developing.”
Azer News reports 81 local and 40 foreign publishing houses are participating.
