The Book Fair at the National Stadium was visited by 75,000 people over four days, while 800 exhibitors from around the world presented their offerings in Warsaw. It is a celebration of publishers, authors and non-statistical Poles who like to read. This year, the Book Fair was held under the patronage of President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, while the Federal Republic of Germany was the guest of honour.
Outstanding writers and authors from across the western border were invited. On Saturday, Germany’s First Lady of Crime Charlotte Link signed copies of her latest book, Deceived. The Fair also featured excellent panel discussions; one of them, asking about the direction contemporary Europe is taking, was moderated by Jacek Żakowski. Jacek Cygan, a brilliant lyricist, also signed his books, as did the well-known gay writer and author of popular children’s books Marcin Szczygielski.
We were delighted to present, for the first time at the Fair, books by Grażyna Hanaf. Garbuska, a fairy tale about a child’s need for love, dreams and adventures, attracted considerable interest. However, the true hit was Joachim, set in Bolesławiec and addressing still-relevant themes: local political games and social stereotypes, while opening people up to otherness both within themselves and in others. Grażyna Hanaf also presented her latest fairy tale, “Missing Parents”, at the Fair.
She also visited ExpressMap, for which she wrote texts, among other things, for a guidebook to Morocco. This year, ExpressMap is offering its exceptional guidebooks to Tuscany and Iceland. These new releases are selling very well, as are most titles from one of Poland’s larger publishers of cartographic and tourist guidebooks—one of the few Polish publishing houses to have successfully introduced its own products to European markets, above all France and Germany, where its maps and guidebooks are distributed.