RIYADH: Eighty publishers from France including Hachette Book Group, Editions Gallimard, Editions Flammarion, Auzou Editions, Inter Forum International Diffusion and Didier Fle will be present at the Riyadh International Book Fair this week.
Organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, the book fair — which opened on Thursday and will continue until Oct. 7 — is being held at King Saud University under the slogan “An Inspiring Destination.”
The French pavilion will feature 20,000 titles of which 10,000 are exclusively for young people. It aims to bring together Francophone communities and those wanting to learn the language and culture through various events and workshops.
Generation 2030, a cultural project for Saudi Arabia and French youth, will present several workshops at the fair.
There will be free French courses offered by the Alliance Francaise d’Arabie Saoudite, a language and cultural center in Saudi Arabia.
Sophie Laroche, an author of children’s literature, will be at the fair to sign copies of her books from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1.
A panel of discussions and debates will be led by author Louis Blin; and bookbinders Limousin will present a demonstration of manuscript binding.
French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ludovic Pouille is expected to visit the pavilion on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
