Press releases

6 Feb 2019

Mobile exhibition of CIS contemporary literature presented in Minsk

MINSK, 6 February (BelTA) – The presentation of a traveling exhibition of works of contemporary writers of the CIS member states “Reading Together – Getting to Know Each Other” took place on the sidelines of the 26th Minsk International Book Fair on 6 February, BelTA has learned.

The exposition features 56 books from nine states: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. These are the best of the books published in Russian and the national languages over the last 25 years.

"The books on display provide an opportunity to get an idea of what is important and significant, what excites our neighbors, citizens of the CIS countries, and what makes them happy,” said First Deputy Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, CIS First Deputy Executive Secretary Viktor Guminsky.

In his words, 2019 has been declared the Year of the Book in the CIS. “This is our first traveling exhibition of books published in the CIS over the past 25 years. The CIS member states eagerly supported the project. We asked each country to submit five books. The exhibition has turned to be much bigger. The exposition has also included authors who worked at a different time, but whose works are actively published in the CIS today due to their relevance and special popularity,” said Viktor Guminsky.

There are plans to display these books in the leading national libraries of the CIS member states in the future. The project has been organized by the CIS Cultural Cooperation Council, the CIS Executive Committee and the Presidential Library of Belarus.

The 26th Minsk International Book Fair will be held under the slogan "More Than Books" from 6 to 10 February. Some 60,000 people are expected to visit the fair. The organizers of the Minsk International Book Fair are the Information Ministry, the Minsk City Hall and the Belarusian Union of Writers. Co-organizers are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Education Ministry, the Culture Ministry, Belkniga and Makbel book selling companies.