Gaudeamus Radio Romania

The most famous book fair in Romania returns in a physical format, after two years of pandemic. The 29thedition of the Gaudeamus fair, organized by Radio Romania, has opened in Bucharest. Until Sunday, 200 participants offer the public an extremely varied range of editorial products, on different supports, suitable for all ages and fields of interest, music and educational games. More than 600 editorial events have been announced, including book launches, debates, autograph sessions, performances and workshops as well as other projects.

For the first time, two spaces dedicated to interactive activities for the youngest visitors have been set up within the fair. The honorary president of this year's edition is the writer Ana Blandiana, who said that such an event helps readers and authors discover each other. She spoke about the importance of the public radio station, as organizer of the event.

Ana Blandiana: "I think that, even from the very first time I went to a Gaudeamus fair, when the fair consisted in only a few tables with books in the foyer of the Radio Concert Hall, I thought to myself: what a wonderful idea the people at the Radio had to start a book fair, for the simple reason that book fairs are generally organized by publishers, associations, publishers who are interested in organizing them, in order to sell their books. Well, Radio Romania has no interest of this kind, it is, in this sense, the most soulful fair, if I can say so. Actually, I was even asked in a radio interview: what is the difference, in your opinion, between the Gaudeamus Fair and other fairs? I had never thought of that aspect, and I remembered this thought from the beginning, that it is a fair that has no material interests, that the Radio is just a great cultural institution and that the basis of culture is reading. So, the only interest of the Radio is for people to read books."

The role of books increased during this period full of turmoil - says, for his part, the president general director of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, Răzvan Dincă: "Probably in these moments, with all the threats at Romania’s border, with what is happening near us, with what has happened in the last three years with this terrible pandemic, which has affected the entire world, people feel the pain and try to find comfort also in reading books, and if they do not have access to other forms of comfort such as art, culture, in written form or otherwise that could alleviate this  pain, I think that books have an even more important role."

All the stands of this year's edition of the fair can also be found in virtual format on the gaudeamus.ro website. The book fair initiated and organized by Radio Romania is financed by the Ministry of Culture, and entry is free. (LS)