Gaudeamus Oradea
Book lovers in western Romania have taken part in large numbers in the Gaudeamus Caravan in Oradea.
Corina Cristea, 13.05.2019, 13:50
Radio Romania’s Gaudeamus Caravan, set up in 2000, is made up of a series of exhibitions dedicated to books and education, venued by established cultural and university centers that host regional stations of Radio Romania. This year, the Caravan first stopped in Craiova, in the south, then in Cluj-Napoca, in the North West and, until May 13, it was present in Oradea, in the west, where top publishing houses presented their offer, alongside distributors of foreign literature, music and educative games. “The large number of participants and the variety of editorial domains presented are the guarantee for a rich and varied offer, adjusted to all tastes, ages and interests.
The best selling books of the moment both at home and abroad, the big discounts, the promotional packages and the author series, are the strong points of the fair, according to the organizers. The big number of visitors has already confirmed the interest in this book fair. The Gaudeamus Caravan included 10 events, book launches and presentations, and also the well known Radio Romania projects: “The Books Return Home”, “Perfect 10 Guests. Romania’s Olympic Students” and the Gaudeamus Raffle.
Organizers were glad to see that a big number of young people are interested in the Gaudeamus Caravan, which made them expand the exhibition area by 20%. “This is a significant increase for a book fair at a time when everybody complains that young people no longer read books and that technology gains ground, Connie Chifor, one of the organizers, has said.
The purpose of the event is to highlight the importance of the printed or electronic books and also of the readers, professor Lucian Scurtu, the fair’s honorary president has said. A member of the Romanian Writers’ Union, the author of several poetry books awarded in the country, professor Scurtu has said that a history book makes us turn back in time, a novel transposes us to a fascinating, unbelievable world while a children’s book brings out the child in each of us. At the end of the day, he also said, the book is a world and a world can be found within the pages of a book. At the end of the event, visitors voted for the prizes of this year’s edition.
Among the winners were publishing houses such as Niculescu, Humanitas and Grupul Editorial Art. The “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling, is the best selling book of this year’s edition. (Translated by Elena Enache)
