Istočno Novo Sarajevo opened a book fair presenting seven publishing houses from the Republic of Srpska tonight on the Square of the Republic of Serbia, as part of the cultural and entertainment event Summer in Istočno Novo Sarajevo.

The opening of the fair was followed by promotion of the publishing activity of the Central Library of Istočno Sarajevo, which is also the organizer of this fair.

Branislava Milošević from the Central Library said that this institution had produced 183 publications in its 25 years of existence, including 117 monographs and 66 audio books.

‘It published its first titles in cooperation with the Yugoslav Art Gallery from Belgrade in 1997 and the Association of Writers of Serbia in 1999. There was a successful cooperation also with the Belgrade publishing house Svet Knjige and the City Library of Pančevo. The Central Library started its independent publishing activity by issuing a catalog on the occasion of 10 years of its existence,’ noted Milošević.

She stated that the publications were dominated by fiction – novels, short stories and poetry, but included also literary criticism, travelogues, memoirs, aphorisms, works for children, pedagogy, psychology, sports, catalogs and books in the field of librarianship.

According to her, the publications are mostly works of local authors, such as Marijana Petronić, Goran Vračar, Vladimir Nastić, Neđo Šipovac and others.

‘The first audio book was recorded in 2012 for the needs of the Department for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Since 2016, we have been recording audio books in the recording studio of the Central Library in digital technology on CDs in mp3 format,’ Milošević noted.

On the eve of the opening, the moderator of the fair, Snježana Galinac Đoković, said that that evening the citizens would be presented the gems of the prolific publishing activity of the Istočno Sarajevo Central Library.

‘We will talk about our local writers, we will recite and read excerpts from some works a little, and we will play music a little. This event is important for the citizens to learn about the work of this very important cultural institution,’ Đoković emphasized.

Librarian Slađana Bratić said that this was a good way to promote domestic publishing, which is very important for the Central Library, the city of Istočno Sarajevo, as well as for the entire Republic of Srpska.

‘Publishing output in our country is modest, but by no means nonexistent, so we offered a chance to present to all publishers working in the Republic of Srpska,’ said Bratić.

Speaking about the number of members of the Central Library, Bratić notes that regardless of the coronavirus pandemic, that number is constantly increasing.

The Deputy Mayor of Istočno Novo Sarajevo, Aleksandar Kostović, said that the book fair was a good indicator of the Summer in Istočno Novo Sarajevo event’s accessibility to all citizens regardless of age, because the written word was what united all generations.

‘This is the first fair in our municipality, and we will do everything to make it traditional,’ Kostović emphasized.

Tomorrow, on the second day of the fair, at 6.00 pm, the Saint Sava Literary Fund will promote the books Novi svjetski poredak uništava planetu (new world order destroys the planet) and Pred našim očima (before our eyes) by Sava Živković, as well as Govorim srpski (I speak Serbian) by Radoslav Samardžija.

The same evening at 7.00 pm, the Pale National Library will promote the monograph Rođeni vječno da žive (born to live eternally) by Milanko Čobović.

On Wednesday, 18 August, at 5.30 pm, the Istočno Sarajevo Institute for Textbooks and Teaching Aids will organize a presentation of Miloš Kovačević’s book Srbistički ogledi (essays in Serbian studies), which will be discussed by Milanka Babić, in addition to the author. Among other things, the position of the Serbian language today will be discussed with these professors in the form of a public discussion.

The Textbooks and Teaching Aids Institute has also prepared discounts of up to 70 percent on their editions of fiction, professional books and editions for children.

The book fair, which is being held under the auspices of the municipality of Istočno Novo Sarajevo, will offer a lot of cultural and entertaining content to the citizens.

Source and photo: Glas Srpske-Srna