Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-04-20

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Thessaloniki Book Fair opens Thurs.; Chinese, Turkish works featured

[02] Greek bond market closing report

[03] Unemployment at 11.3%

[04] Stocks end 0.91% up

[01] Thessaloniki Book Fair opens Thurs.; Chinese, Turkish works featured

The TBF is an annual international book fair that has been held for the past six years. The 2010 fair expects some 500 publishers and 151 authors from 24 countries, who will present their ideas, proposals and finished products. According to the head of the National Book Centre Katrin Velissari, the TBF did not this year escape the impact of the Greek and global economic crisis and is smaller than in previous years but she stressed that the cuts "are in quantity, not quality".

Another problem that arose were the unexpected obstacles to travel, due to the volcanic dust cloud from Iceland.

China will be the guest of honour at this year's fair, while the theme of the featured exhibition will be "Antiquity and us".

This will use Greek publications - including 18 rare, antique volumes contributed by Thessaloniki's Aristotelian University - to illustrate the interaction between ancient and contemporary civilisations.

Exhibits, book presentations, round table discussions and numerous parallel events will be organised to attract the public and make their visit to the fair a more valuable experience. These will include events on teen literature and the 'Gourmet Corner', with books and lectures on gastronomy.

The book fair will be inaugurated by Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos.

China as guest of honour

The pavilion set up by China is expected to be another major drawing point for book fair, with a team of 200 people employed to set up some 3,000 publications and other exhibits on its 500-square-metre national stand.

With the slogan "Tradition and Innovation", the Chinese stand is organised by the Chinese Culture ministry and Beijing Book Fair to highlight both China's vast market of 1.5 billion people and its role as a country steeped in tradition and history.

Rare Books on show

Thessaloniki's Aristotelian University will contribute 18 rare books from the Trikoglou collection, shown in public for the first time, as part of the exhibition "Antiquity and us" that is being organised by the National Book Centre and the Panhellenic Federation of Publishers and Paper Sellers.

The Trikoglou collection is made up of some 12,000 volumes that are normally kept in the university's central library under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity, as well as 950 works of art that were exhibited roughly four years ago at the city's Telloglion Foundation.

Among the 18 volumes to be exhibited on Thursday are "Greek Archaeology" by Grigorios Paliouritis published in 1815 or the first edition of "Fêtes et courtisanes de la Grèce" by one of the leading figures of the French Revolution Pierre Chaussard, as well as Depping's exquisitely illustrated "La Grèce" published in 1823.

There will also be some of the world's first museum guides, such as "The Elgin and Phigalean Marbles" by the British Museum director Sir Henry Ellis (1846), 19th and 20th century books on archaeology written for children and historic photographs and engravings of ancient monuments.

Turkish authors showcased

Meanwhile, nine authors from Turkey will be in Thessaloniki to participate at the International Book Fair.

The delegation aspires to contact local publishing houses to have Turkish works translated into Greek, Heyamola publishing house representative and author Omer Asan told ANA-MPA.

The authors, whose books will be presented in the book fair, participate in the Istanbulum programme implemented by Heyamola publishers in cooperation with the Organization Istanbul Cultural Capital of Europe 2010. A total of 40 books by different authors have been published within the framework of the programme and each one of them is inspired by an Istanbul suburb.

In addition, the authors of the Karadeniz (Black Sea) series, who will also attend the Thessaloniki book fair, will extend a hand of friendship and cooperation to the Greeks from the Black Sea region suggesting that they work together to revive the friendship and brotherhood shared by the two peoples.

[02] Greek bond market closing report

[03] Unemployment at 11.3%

The number of employed stood at 4,445,743 in January while the (ANA-MPA) number of unemployed amounted to 567,132 and the number of inactive to 4,276,258. (ANA-MPA)

[04] Stocks end 0.91% up

The FTSE 20 index rose 0.98 pct, the FTSE 40 index ended 1.45 pct higher and the FTSE 80 index fell 0.58 pct. The Health (3.61 pct) and Media (2.25 pct) scored the biggest percentage gains of the day, while Commerce (3.84 pct) and Oil (1.82 pct) suffered losses. Broadly, decliners led advancers by 88 to 80 with another 59 issues unchanged.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article