Taipei 2011: Where Happiness Reigns

by Teri Tan

The choice of Bhutan as the honored guest at the 2011 Taipei International Book Fair (TIBE), running from February 9 to 14, is both unexpected and groundbreaking. “Bhutan may be an insignificant market in the publishing world but this small nation of 700,000 people that measures its national wealth based on gross national happiness instead of gross domestic product has a lot to teach us,” says Jung-wen Wang, Taipei Book Fair Foundation chairman and founder/managing director of Yuan-Liou Publishing. “In these stressful times of unequal income distribution and relentless wealth creation, we need to refocus on quality of life and happiness. And since happiness and contentment can be found in books and the act of reading, our choice of Bhutan is both timely and appropriate.”       …read more

Gruffalo creators among authors of the day at LBF

07.02.11 | Graeme Neill

Claire Tomalin, Boris Akunin and Julia Donaldson along with illustrator Axel Scheffler have been chose as authors of the day at this year’s London Book Fair.

Each author will spend a day at the fair, which runs from 11th-13th April, showcasing their work across seminars, book signings, events and photo opportunities.   …read more

Cairo book fair abandoned

Biggest literary event in the Arab literary world pulled as Egypt convulsed by protests.

Literature has been caught up in the protests that have now entered their seventh day in Egypt. The annual Cairo book fair, due to have been held this week, has been abandoned, with many foreign exhibitors left stranded after failing to secure flights to take them out of the country.

The fair – the largest and oldest in the Arab world, usually attracting two million visitors and a host of authors – was due to be opened on Saturday 28 January by President Hosni Mubarak, who has hitherto raised the curtain each year. But with protesters demonstrating on the streets against his rule, and curfews imposed across the city, the event was summarily abandoned. The guest of honour, China, withdrew its delegation on the eve of the scheduled opening.   …read more

2011 Cape Town Book Fair Canceled

(Photo: Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Cape Town Book Fair, 2010)

January 24, 2011 • Read more by Hannah Johnson

The Cape Town Book Fair organisers announce that the Cape Town Book Fair will not be staged in 2011, but in a new and remodeled format in 2012, along with the IPA Publishers Congress which is going to be held in Cape Town 12 – 14 June 2012. The reason for this new move is that publishers in South Africa have voiced their support for a bi-annual Fair, starting in 2012….read more

Who wrote ‘O’, the anonymous novel about Obama? 6 theories

Penned by a mystery author, a “Primary Colors”-style novel about the future of the Obama administration will soon hit shelves. Who’s behind it?

Best Opinion:  Daily Beast, Vanity Fair, Politico…

Washington is abuzz with rumors about O, a speculative novel about the Obama presidency penned by “Anonymous.” Publisher Simon & Schuster says only that the shadowy scribe has “been in the room with Barack Obama” and has “spent years observing politics.” Set in the future during the 2012 presidential election, the 368-page novel is said to mix fiction with reality — much like “Primary Colors,” the 1996 novel about Bill Clinton published anonymously by journalist Joe Klein. Beltway pundits are desperate to identify the mystery author before the novel hits shelves later this month. Who are the frontrunners?…read more