2017 year of two book fairs

(ANSA) - Rome, January 10 - 2017 is set to be the year of the two book fairs, the end of a tradition and the birth of new publishing scenarios after the long-established Turin book fair lost the confidence of Italian publishers last year. 'Tempo di Libri' (Time for Books) is the name of the controversial new book fair that will take place at the Milan Rho trade fair centre from April 19-23, 2017 under the direction of Chiara Valerio, Pierdomenico Baccalario (programme for 0-18 year-olds), Nina Klein (digital publications) and Giovanni Peresson (professional programme) with oversight from a scientific committee coordinated by Renata Gorgani.
    The Turin International Book Fair will instead take place as per usual in the Lingotto area of the Piedmont regional capital from May 18-22, this year under the direction of 2015 Strega prizewinner Nicola Lagioia.
    Lagioia, 43, and Valerio, 39, are friends and have confessed to "speaking every evening and telling each other things, perhaps without the management knowing".
    Their appointment has been favourably received and for now they represent the greatest guarantee of dialogue between the two fairs after a year of tension and confrontation. "Guys, don't talk about two fairs. Let's roll up our sleeves and get busy, an idea is worth more than the 'Curva sud' and 'Curva nord' (the typical separate seating arrangement for hard-core football fans in Italian stadiums)," said Lagioia.
    The controversy erupted in summer 2016, after the Italian publishers' association (AIE) announced that the time had come for "publishers to take the stage" by proposing "a new model" for the 30-year-old Salone del Libro in Turin. The ensuing confrontation resulted in the creation by over 80 independent publishers of the association Friends of the Salone del Libro and the decision of several publishing houses - including 66thand2nd and e/o - to abandon AIE, amid concern about the effect of the divisions on an already flagging readership. Adelphi has already said that it will be taking a 'sabbatical year' this year and will not participate in either fair. Einaudi will instead be present at both events, while Longanesi has said that it will have a stand at the Milan fair but not in Turin, where it is however open to presenting its authors. The Salone del Libro will certainly not be the same as in the past. Rather, it will relaunch itself as a showcase for Italian cultural festivals, while Time for Books aims to be a fair that will unfold over the course of the year, with related events starting in Milan on January 12 with Turkish sociologist Pinar Selek discussing the book 'The marvellous mandarin' by Turkish writer and journalist Asli Erdogan and the problems of press freedom in their country. photo: Turin Book Fair chief Nicola Lagioia