Cairo: This year's Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) promises to be a literary extravaganza enticing the book worm in us all. While the fair will be dedicated this year to great Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz - a special section will display his accumulated works and a considerable number of lectures will examine the life of this literary giant - a bevy of international authors and literary literati will participate in this year's session. Italy will be the second guest of honor at the 39th CIBF, which President Hosni Mubarak will inaugurate on today. It runs till Feb. 4.. Nasser El Ansary, chairman of the General Egyptian Book Organization, and the Italian embassy in Cairo, held a press conference recently to reveal more details about this year s session and to discuss the various activities the Italian embassy is organizing for the fair. The conference panel also included Italian Ambassador to Cairo Antonio Badini, Cultural Counsellor at the Italian Embassy Adelia Rispoli and Egyptian Book Organization deputy Waheed Abdel Meguid. The Cairo Children s Book Fair, for reasons El Ansary declined to disclose, will be incorporated with the International one this year Some 767 publishers from 26 countries will participate in the fair with more than a 1,000 guest, ranging from poets, novelists, artists, thinkers and philosophers, partaking in the seminars and conferences. The peaceful use of nuclear energy seminar is one of the most important events held this year and will be attended by German scientist Varner Martinsen. Other important seminars include Islam and the west, moderated by the religious scholar Ali El Samman, and Civil societies and their role in development. Among the returning popular sections of the fare are A book and an author, where 30 writers will present and discuss their works with the public. On the other hand, the highly prearranged Italian program is rich with a multitude of numerous cultural activities that might steal the thunder from the Egyptian ones. Some of Italy s best and most celebrated writers and thinkers including Niccolò Ammaniti, Mark Lodoli, Claudius Magris and Domenico Starnone, will attend the fair to compare their works, and reflect upon the cultural similarities between Italy and Egypt, with their Egyptian counterparts represented by Gamal Al-Ghitani, Salwa Baker, Edward Kharrat and Mohamed Salmawy among others. Book as a source for learning about the other, together with Europe, Christianity and Islam are two of the most notable Italian/Egyptian round-table discussions that are expected to draw a great number of audiences and extensive media coverage. The fair will also boast 15 Italian theatrical plays, musical concerts and dance performances that will take place in the Cairo Opera House, Hanager theatre and Gomhoreya theatre. A number of Italian film masterpieces, based on literary works, will be screened during the 13-day event. Three Pier Paolo Pasolini movies ( Arabian Nights, The Canterbury Tales and The Decameron ) will be shown along with Fellini s Satyricon and Gabriele Salvatores s I m Not Scared. The Cairo International Book Fair is one of the biggest and highly regarded book exhibitions in the world. Last year s round, according to the estimates, was attended by more than three million visitors from Egypt and the Arab world.
