New Delhi World Book Fair 2016 a readers’ delight!!!
The countdown has begun for New Delhi World Book Fair 2016, to be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Book lovers across the country make a beeline for this annual fest. Here’s an update on what this year’s fair unfolds for the readers.
The New Delhi World Book Fair 2016 (NDWBF) will be held from January 9-17, 2016 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. This year, the theme of the fair is Indian cultural heritage including yoga, which is in sync with the prime minister Narendra Modi’s mega effort to take yoga on the international stage. The theme pavilion will be decorated in line with the Indian culture and popular books of each language will be on display. The fair is meticulously organised by National Book Trust, India and co-organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).
Today Indian publishing stands poised at a significant crossroad towards the path of growth. NDWBF offers the participants a unique opportunity of doing business with this growing book industry. It is also an ideal venue for promoting titles, co-publication arrangements and trade.
Besides the many literary and publishing conferences and programmes to be organised during the Fair, it also opens up a gateway to the publishing and intellectual world of South Asia. The fair attracts participation from major publishing houses of the globe.
Guest of honour country
This year China will be the Guest of Honour Country at the NDWBF 2016. In recent years, Chinese government has attached great importance to China Country of Honour Programs at the international book fairs so as to further strengthen the exchanges and cooperation between China and the other countries. Following the Country of Honour presentations in many international book fairs, including Frankfurt Book Fair (2009), London Book Fair (2012), Book Expo America (2015), etc. Rich volumes of Chinese books, professional forums and seminars, cultural exhibitions, and literature salons will be organized at the NDWBF 2016 to promote literary and cultural ties between India and China as well as the bilateral people-to-people exchanges.
CEOSpeak
On January 10, the CEOs and senior executives will participate in the B2B event CEOSpeak over Chairman’s Breakfast organised by National Book Trust, India, and FICCI, on the sidelines of the Fair to share and exchange ideas about Indian and International book trade.
File photo: Inauguration of NDWBF ’15New Delhi Rights Table
As part of its effort to promote Indian Books Abroad and to facilitate business interactions to buy/sell translation rights between Indian publishers and foreign publishers, the National Book Trust, India is organising the New Delhi Rights Table from January 11-12, 2016. It would provide a unique opportunity for publishers from across the world to meet each other on a one-to-one basis to tentatively finalize their interest and agreements for transfer of translation rights available in English, Hindi and other Indian languages.
Children Pavilion
Books are very important for a child’s growth and play a crucial role in their foundation years. A dedicated children’s pavilion will not just offer books but also workshops and other events to keep children engaged and entertained.
Mobileapp
A free mobile app for NDWBF 2016 is available for the visitors. It can search exhibitor based on the name, product category, hall and language. It can also help them to navigate, by showing route to reach from one exhibitor to other. Visitors can also find all information about authors’ corners, children pavilions and other events happening at the show. It will also give exciting offers and discount coupons.
Other activities
Book launches, Authors Corners, seminars, book reading sessions, cultural performances and other literary activities will be an integral part of the fair. Come join this wonderful world of books!
Chinese and Indian writers meet to explore the “Silk Road of Literature”
Literature, as a bridge connecting peoples and civilisations, helps enhance mutual understanding and friendship between people with different cultural backgrounds. Exchange on literature is expected to figure prominently in Guest of Honor activities for New Delhi World Book Fair 2016, as the Chinese delegation will invite nine Chinese authors, with distinct styles, to the fair. They will meet their Indian counterparts to exchange views on a wide array of topics and explore a “Silk Road of Literature.” The ten Chinese authors are Cao Wenxuan, Lan Lan, Liu Zhenyun, Mai Jia, Shu Ting, Wang Xufeng, Xi Chuan, Xiong Liang and Xu Zechen. They will participate in exchange activities in both New Delhi and Kolkata, sharing with local writers their latest works.
An introduction of Chinese authors
Cao Wenxuan
One of China’s most acclaimed popular authors of children’s fiction, Cao Wenxuan’s works are typically set in the China of the 1950s and 60s, and feature children and animals as their main characters.
Titles such as Thatched Houses, Bronze and Sunflower have collectively sold over ten million of copies in China, and Cao Wenxuan has won most of the domestic prizes available to children’s authors. His reputation abroad is on the rise, with a nomination for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and the publication of titles including Bronze and Sunflower in English.
Lan Lan
Lan Lan is considered one of the most influential Chinese lyrical poets of the present time. She is the best selling author of nine poetry titles including Life with a Smile, Songs of Romance, Inner Life, Dream, Dream and From Here, To Here. Also a prolific prose and children’s fiction writer, she has been translated into ten languages. Awarded the prestigious Liu Li’an Poetry Prize in 1996, she has also received four of China’s highest literary honors, including the Poetry & People Award and the Yulong Poetry Prize. A regular guest at international poetry festivals, she lives in Beijing.
Liu Zhenyun
Liu Zhenyun, a Chinese famous writer. Liu’s works include novels such as Yellow Flower Under the Sun in Hometown, Going Around in Hometown, Hometown: Noodles and Flowers (four volumes), Cell Phone, The Cook, The Crook, and Real Estate Tycoon, One Sentence worth Ten Thousand, I Did Not Kill My Husband etc. Short stories such as Company of New Soldiers, Chicken Feathers Everywhere, Reminiscing 1942, etc. One Sentence worth Ten Thousand was awarded with Mao Dun Literature Prize in 2011. Throughout the years, Liu’s works have been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, Russian, Hungarian, Serbian, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and other languages.
Cell Phone, I Did Not Kill My Husband, and The Cook, The Crook, and Real Estate Tycoon have been translated to English and published; Reminiscing 1942, and One Sentence worth Ten Thousand have been translated to English and will be published soon.
Mai Jia
Contemporary best-selling author. Mai Jia was born in a mountain village on China’s southern coast in 1964. After leaving school, he was recruited by an army academy where they trained intelligence officers, He did not become a spy, but instead starting writing fiction, and through his work for a top secret unit, he got to know people with startling intelligence who would be the inspiration for many of his characters. His first novel, Decoded, was published in 2002 and won eight of China’s top literary awards. The English translation was simultaneously published by FSG in the US and as part of the Penguin Modern Classics series in 2014, receiving excellent reviews in the New York Times, Economist and BBC among others. Mai Jia has gone on to publish five novels to date, including In The Dark and Whispers On The Wind, with sales of over five millions and several major television and film adaptations. His work has been translated into over thirty languages.
Shu Ting
Shu Ting, real name Gong Shuting, is living in Gulangyu Xiamen in Fujian province, a small island in South shore of China near Taiwan. She started writing poems in 1969, the poem To The Oak p u b l i s h e d i n journal Today in 1978 and then reproduced by national journal Poetry Periodical. She is one of the key figures who created obscure poems. Her works includes poem collection Double Gardenia Boat, The Iris Who Can Sing, The Arcteryx, Shuting’s Poems and Prose collection The Soul, The Mood in Autumn, Campsis Radicans, The Thought in the Dewdrop, To Mom, Shuting Prose etc. The works has been published in more than 20 languages.
She has visited more than 20 countries, attending the international poetry festival in India, Holland, Italy, Israel etc. and also to essencial culture communication events including the The Horizon Art Festival in Berlin (1985), The Third Talk of Writers Between China and US. (1986), The Years of Chinese culture in Russia (2007) and The Cultural Event Between China and Korea (2008) etc. She has given speeches about recital in more than 30 cities and universities.
She serves as the committee member of China Writer’s Association and the deputy Chairwoman of Federation of Literary and Art in Fujian Province, Chairwoman of the Federation of Literary and Art of Xiamen City. She is the representative of the twelfth National People’s Congress.
Wang Xufeng
Professor Wang Xufeng is an author, librettist, and authority on the traditions of Chinese tea. She has combined her interests with great success: the threepart Teaman Trilogy, a fictional saga centered around tea, won the Mao Dun Literature Prize and was made into a TV series – it has also been translated into Russian. In addition to her fiction and scholarship, Wang has worked to merge traditional Chinese literature and opera, producing, among other works, a Kunqu version of the classical novel, Dream of the Red Chamber.
Renaissance of Civilizations Understanding through Exchanges
— China guest of honour presentation at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2016
China has been invited as Guest of Honour Country of the New Delhi World Book Fair 2016 (NDWBF 2016) which will be held from January 9-17, 2016 at Pragati Maidan. During the book fair, China will stage a series of publishing and cultural exchange activities themed on “Renaissance of Civilizations, Understanding through Exchanges”, to deepen the mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and Indian people, expand bilateral cultural trade, promote copyrights trading and show the uniqueness of Chinese culture.
The Chinese publishing culture to
be presented from multiple angles at
China Pavilion
China Pavilion covers an area of 1,200 square meters and is mainly divided into five parts: the Publishers’ Exhibition Area, Special Book Exhibition Area, Cultural Exhibition Area, Events Area and Reception Desk. Details are as follows:
The Publisher’s Exhibition Area, taking up the biggest part of China Pavilion, is dedicated to select copyrighted sample books published by Chinese publishers. Around 10,000 copies, 5,000 titles of books will be showed at the NDWBF 2016, which cover a wide range of topics including politics and economy of contemporary China, social science & culture, natural science, literature & arts, Chinese-language learning, and children’s books, etc. Considering that India is a multilingual country and English is one of the official languages, most of the books are in English or Hindi. It’s worth mentioning that a particular booth will be dedicated to Chinese digital publications to showcase the most representative Chinese digital publishers and their latest mobile terminal products, digital publishing apps, e-publications, and e-readers.
The Special Book Exhibition Area will present four exhibitions: Themed Books Show, Publications in International Market, China-India Translation Display, and Collections of Children’s Books. Specifically, Themed Books Show will specially showcase books on the progress made in aspects of politics, economy, science & technology, culture and society in contemporary China. The Publications in International Market will present 150 book titles under the support of the China Classics International project. The China- India Translation Display will display the Chinese translation of Indian books and the Hindi translation of Chinese books to review the history and current situation of bilateral cultural exchange and praise the bilateral friendship. The Collections of Children’s Books will present outstanding original children’s books in Chinese and English. What’s more, Hindi copies of original Chinese illustrated books and leaflets will be distributed for free on the spot.
The Cultural Exhibition Area will also stage four exhibitions: the China- India Cultural Contacts Photo Exhibition, Publishing and Printing in Ancient China, Chinese Tea Culture Exhibition, and Original Illustrations for Children. S p e c i f i c a l l y, t h e C h i n a – India Cultural C o n t a c t s P h o t o E x h i b i t i o n will show selected photos reflecting the characteristics of Sino-Indian cultural exchange in every historical era based on the Encyclopedia of China-India Cultural Contac t s ; t h e O r i g i n a l Illustrations for Children will display 24 original illustrations painted by Chinese children.
Publishing exchanges
to be enhanced via
professional events
I n d o – C h i n a P u b l i s h i n g Development Forum: On Jan 10th, the second day of the book fair, a summit forum on publishing development in China and India will be staged at Ashoka Hotel to enhance bilateral publishing exchanges and cooperation. This forum will be cooperated with the CEOSpeak which is organized by NBT, and themed on “New Opportunities and Future of Chinese-Indian Publishing Exchanges”. Professional seminars: Fo u r professional seminars on Chinese-Indian literature translation, copyright trade, digital publishing and children’s books publishing will be organized to show the development of Chinese and Indian publishing industry and build a wide platform for the communication of Chinese and Indian publishers. China-India Digital Publishing Seminar, which is themed on “The Publishing Industry in the Omnimedia Era”, will be held at Events Corner of Hall 7 from 2:15 pm to 3:45 pm, Jan. 9th. The seminar is staged to share the successful experience in digital publishing and explore the way for a bright future of digital publishing in the all-media age. China-India Books Copyright Cooperation Seminar, which is themed on “Patterns and Problems of China-India Book Copyright Cooperation”, will explore a wider cooperation space for Chinese and Indian copyright trade, and set an example for future cooperation. This event will be held at Events Corner, Hall 7, from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm, on Jan. 11th, the third day of the book fair.
China-India Literature Translation Seminar, which is themed on “The Reconstruction of Babel based on China- India Books Translation and Publication”, will join the authors, translators and publishers together on Jan. 11th, 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm at Events Corner of Hall 7, and discuss on the difficulties, experience and anecdotes in translating Chinese and Indian works, as well as the compiling, distribution and marketing of these translated versions.
China-India Children’s Publishing Seminar, which is to be held on Jan. 12th, 3:15 pm to 4:45 pm, at China Pavilion, is scheduled to focus on “Experience-sharing and Cooperation of China-India Children’s Books Publishing”. At this seminar, from China and India important children’s books publishers will share and discuss their developing patterns, potentials and problems to provide better reference for future cooperation.
Besides, many publishing events will be held as well during the book fair, such as the book launch, the copyright trade panels, and Chinese-learning activities, among which, Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Xi Jinping’s Power of Speech and other China-themed books will be highlighted and promoted; The Chinese translated work The Premier Narendra Modi will be launched; the Chinese version of Surasagara, a fruit of the translation project for classics and contemporary works of Chinese and Indian literature, will be launched. Book launches and signing ceremonies will be staged for over 30 new books including Dwarkanath Kotnis in China, Indian Arts in the Past Five Thousand Years, Chinese Ideological and Cultural Terms (Chinese-English bilingual), Translation and Annotation of the Analects (Hindi version) and the Oriental Main Battlefield.
Mutual cultural understanding to be deepened via literature exchanges During NDWBF 2016, Indian literature lovers will meet with 9 Chinese authors: Cao Wenxuan, Lan Lan, Liu Zhenyun, Mai Jia, Shu Ting, Wang Xufeng, Xi Chuan, Xiong Liang and Xu Zechen, and kinds of authors’ events at China Guest of Honor Pavilion, National Academy of Letters, Nehru University, Delhi University and National Library in Kolkata.
Authors’ Talks including “Decoding the Decoded” “On the Road” “Empty Mountains: The History of a Chinese Village”, Poetry events such as “Chinese- Indian Poetry Night” and Children’s books events “Chinese Seed & World Blossom – the Global Cooperation Project for Cao Wenxuan’s Picture Books”, “Beyond Black and White – Chinese Aesthetics and World Language in Xiong Liang’s Ink Picture Books”. These events will be devoted to enhancing the communication between Chinese and Indian literature and introducing Chinese literature to the world.
China-India Cultural Contacts Photo Exhibition
Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra with representatives from China and India, together poured the holy water into the sacred pools in the temple of Shiva in Maharashtra recently. Located in Ali area, Tibet, Kangrinboqe Peak and ManasarovarLake are holy places for both China and India.The China-India Cultural Contacts Photo Exhibition will be held during New Delhi World Book Fair from January 9-17, 2016, with China being the guest of honor. It is sponsored by state administration of press, publication, radio, film and television of The People’s Republic of China, and organised by Encyclopedia of China Publishing House. Hundreds of well-selected pictures which show the features of China-India cultural contacts in each period with brief descriptive text will be exhibited, presenting the 2000 years of material and spiritual exchanges in every fields between two countries directly and lively.
China and India are two of the world ancient civilizations having made great contributions to the development of human civilization. The history of the friendship and cultural exchange between China and India could be dated to 4 BC. From governmental conversation to peopleto- people communication, from goods traveling by land to those travelling by sea, from material exchange to spiritual communication, the long history of exchange in every field is a precious experience for both sides and even for the whole world. Therefore, the culture and mutual influences as well as communications of both countries have always been a matter of concern for the world, especially by the academic fields.
Memorial Hall of Xuan Zang in IndiaThe exhibition will be divided into eight parts according to timeline, which are preface, initial stage (before 1 AD), development period (1st century – 6th century), golden period (6th century – 10th century), transformation period (10th century – 17th century), low ebb (17th century – 1949), new era (after 1950) and epilogue. Pictures of significant events, important figures and vital items are presented in every part.
The topics range from communicating and exchanging route, trades, technical exchange to Buddhism exchange, art exchange, diplomatic relations and academic communication, but there will be some topics to focus in each part.
Sino-Indian culture relations are historical and complicated. It could not grow more without the efforts made by both countries and people. Looking ahead, only by following the steps of Xuanzang, Kumarajiva, Bodhidharma, Ji Xianlin, Tan Yunshan, Zhang Qian and Dr Kotis, can we continue to maintain and develop this love?
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