Italy to be guest of honor at Taipei Int'l Book Exhibition

Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) Italy has been selected as the Guest of Honor at the 2025 Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE) from Feb. 4-9 at the Taipei World Trade Center, and is set to showcase its illustrators and authors across literary genres, organizers said Friday.

The Italian Pavilion will feature two sections, dedicated to Italian illustrators/comic artists and children's book authors, with the first section showcasing works from 30 artists and the second around 60 children's books and picture books selected by the International Board on Books for Young People, Italia, the Ministry of Culture (MOC), which organizes the event, said in a statement.

In addition, 11 "heavyweight" Italian authors published in fields from contemporary literature to picture books, suspense, children's literature, and detective fiction, are slated to make appearances to promote their new books and speak at related forums.

The authors are Beatrice Alemagna, Mario Barenghi, Gianni Biondillo, Davide Calì, Laura Imai Messina, Eliana Liotta, Federica Manzon, Fabiano Massimi, Susanna Mattiangeli, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Luca Peyron.

Meanwhile, more than 50 international authors from around the world are scheduled to give speeches, including Hong Kong's Jozev Lau (喬靖夫), British illustrator Marion Deuchars, and Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto, according to the Taipei Book Fair Foundation.

Other countries to be featured at the book fair include Thailand, India, Belgium, France, Germany and Czechia.

People aged 18-22 who present MOC "Culture Points" digital vouchers will be granted free admission. Those who purchase a ticket will receive a coupon equivalent to the ticket's face value which they can spend at the book fair, according to the ministry.