Publishers flock to Istanbul International Book Fair

urkey’s biggest international book fair opened its doors this weekend with a ceremony to mark its 34th anniversary.

The Tuyap Fair in Beylikduzu opened Saturday with the theme of ‘Humor: Looking at Life with a Smile.’

This year, the 34th International Istanbul Book Fair will host over 750 publishers from all over the world, plus panels, seminars and workshops among a total of 300 activities.

The state of Romania will be the honorary ‘guest’ of the event which will host prominent Romanian writers such as Mircea Cartarescu and Matei Visniec.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the fair Saturday, Governor Vasip Sahin said: "Today, reading a book is no longer seen as leisure time activity, rather it has started to be taken as an obligation, need and duty."

Sahin said reading habits and art activities are considered as a development level not only for individuals but also for society.

He added that, last year about 500,000 people visited the fair.

Matei Ioan, general director of Libraries and Publications at Romania’s Culture Ministry, said: "I believe that written culture constitutes a whole purification system of the soul in these geopolitical conditions."

Turkish Publishers’ Association head, Metin Celal, said: "Last year, we produced 561,000 books. According to the International Publishers’ Association, we are the world's 11th largest publishing sector."

Meanwhile, publications of journalism and photographs by Anadolu Agency are also on show.

The agency’s Corporate Communications Director Esra Kirecci said: "We are very pleased with being the Global Communication Partner of Istanbul International Book Fair for the last two years."