Thessaloniki International Book Fair raises some eyebrows

The 20th Thessaloniki International Book Fair, which ended on Sunday, drew 85,000 visitors, was well organized and packed with events, but raised several questions about the selection of the honored guest: the Emirate of Sharjah.

In comments to Kathimerini, the chief executive of the Sharjah Book Authority, Ahmed al-Ameri, said his expectation was to “build bridges between two cultures that have had relations for over 5,000 years.”

Publishers such Eva Karaitidi of Estia publications said that she does not espouse the ‘outcry’ against the emirate, because the Sharjah Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi has contributed to the strengthening of the presence of women in publishing.

However, Anna Pataki estimated that “it is not possible to have a city of an emirate honored, because when we say ‘honored’ we mean the literature of a country.” Kostas Spatharakis from Antipodes noted that “apart from the paradox of talking about gender issues in one panel and a different world existing in the other, I did not perceive any organic relationship between them and what we do, or the other way around.”

Others spoke of a “joke” and a “shame.”