The cultural, historical, economic and industrial links between Tunisia and Italy have always been very strong. What unites the two countries and what are the objectives of Italian participation as guest of honor at the 38th edition of the Book Fair?
Italy maintains privileged relations with Tunisia, based on a historic and solid friendship which is currently going through a phase of great energy in a climate of mutual trust. Cooperation between our two countries touches all sectors of the country's social, economic and artistic life and, in this sense, culture is undoubtedly one of the most developed and dynamic pillars of the bilateral relationship.
By participating as guest of honor in the 38th edition of the Tunis Book Fair, the country's main literary event, Italy intends to make its editorial wealth known, by offering authors and titles that combine tradition and innovation and stimulating renewed curiosity about our linguistic and cultural heritage.
Thanks to intense teamwork which allowed total synergy between the Italian institutions involved – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation with the Italian Embassy in Tunis and the Italian Cultural Institute in Tunis, the Ministry of Culture and the Center for Books and Reading, the ICE – Italian Agency for Foreign Trade and the AIE – Association of Italian Publishers -, the Italian stand will be for ten days the beating heart of Italian culture in Tunis , a lively place where presentations, screenings and shows will allow young and old alike to immerse themselves in the beauty of our linguistic and literary heritage.
At the same time, I am sure that the meeting between our entrepreneurs in the sector and their Tunisian counterparts will lead to new interesting collaborations to consolidate and strengthen trade.
Tunisia welcomes many students of the Italian language, who especially know the great classics from Dante to Calvino. Where is Italian publishing currently located on a global scale and what are young people reading in Italy? What are the most popular literary genres?
The Italian language is deeply loved here. The depth of historical and cultural ties as well as geographic proximity are evident when we think of the more than 42,000 Tunisian high school students who choose Italian as an optional language and the many Tunisian friends who have learned our language on their own thanks also to Italian television, with a passion and knowledge of our culture which is for us today a great source of pride.
It is a shared cultural heritage that we intend to promote and continue to strengthen, thanks also to the appeal that Italian literature has on readers of all ages: in this regard, the classics remain a fundamental axis of our literary tradition, but participation in the Fair will allow us to present new works and young authors, thus demonstrating the ability of Italian publishing to adapt to changing times.
The Italian publishing sector today has more than 5,000 active publishing houses and around 1.4 million titles available on the market: it is the most important of the cultural and creative industries in Italy and the fourth in Europe, where children's novels, thrillers and comics remain readers' favorite genres.
What does Italian participation in the event foresee? What will be the unmissable moments, what will be the events not to be missed?
The program of Italian participation in the Book Fair is particularly rich: 21 events will enliven our country's pavilion with presentations and conversations by Italian and Tunisian authors, video projections and activities for children, in order to reach all categories of readers and highlight the variety and richness of the Italian literary tradition.
The program will focus on the Mediterranean Sea, the “mare nostrum” of the ancient Romans, which has united different cultures, languages and histories for centuries. On April 20, the Association of Italian Publishers will present the Report on Italian Publishing, a snapshot of the state of the publishing sector in our country and the possibilities for new synergies in this sector.
The events that will take place daily in our pavilion will allow us to reflect on the depth of the ties that unite our countries thanks to the contributions of Italian and Tunisian writers, essayists, academics and journalists, with an emphasis on poetry, a literary field that , through its immediacy, is able to reach the deepest depths of each of us, on the media and historical Italian-language newspapers in Tunisia, as well as on publishing for children and young people. We look forward to seeing you.