Year of Book to become great feast for writers and readers

GRODNO, 4 January (BelTA) – The Year of the Book will become a great literature feast for writers and readers, Chairperson of the Grodno Office of the Union of Writers of Belarus Lyudmila Kebich told BelTA. According to her, the members of the Union celebrate the publication of every book. The fact that book publishing and promotion are top on the government agenda is an additional stimulus for creative work and efforts to bring domestic literature closer to the reader, Lyudmila Kebich believes. A lot of interesting events are designed to draw attention to the domestic book publishing and help people rediscover the Belarusian literature. Members of the Union of Writers of Belarus have been working on the promotion of domestic literature for many years. Using their own money or sponsor funds, they publish books, distribute them, donate them to provincial libraries, meet with readers and try to introduce as many people as possible to Belarusian literature. Last year, writers from Grodno Oblast published 17 books. This year, the number of books to be published will increase to 20. They are books for children and socially important books that will be published out of the funds of publishing houses. Grodno writers will try to make most of the opportunity to promote domestic literature in the Year of the Book. They will take part in promotion tours, soirees, meetings with readers all over the oblast, celebrate anniversaries of Belarusian classics and modern writers, organize presentations of new books, etc. They will present their books at a nation-wide exhibition in Minsk. During spring holidays, the Union will organize events for children and a poetry soiree for adults. During the festival of national cultures in Grodno the Union will hold a special event dedicated to national poetry. According to Lyudmila Kebich, this year the oblast announced its first contest for best works of literature. The best three authors will receive prizes of the local authorities and money to publish their books. The decision to announce the year 2012 the Year of the Book aims to enhance the role of the book and reading in the modern society, to nurture love to the art of declamation among the younger generation, to develop Belarusian literature and support the national book publishing industry.

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