Romania is participating as a guest country in the 17th edition of the EXPOESÍA Book Fair in Soria, which has been held since 1 August and ends tomorrow.
The official opening of this year’s edition, whose motto is Today is still, was attended by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Andrei Novac, and the mayor of Soria, Carlos Martínez Mínguez.
Throughout the fair, you can enjoy a wide range of representative activities for the cultural promotion of Romania, organized by the Instituto Rumano de Cultura, through the National Book Center, with the support of the Embassy of Romania, in collaboration with the Municipality of Soria.
Every year, Soria brings together the main protagonists of national and international poetry in a celebration that attracts many tourists and constitutes a true cultural stage for the country invited. Romania’s participation in this edition establishes new cultural bridges and strengthens the presence of Romanian literature on the Spanish cultural circuit.
As a writer and man of culture, Secretary of State Andrei Novac stated in his inaugural address: “Literature is, without doubt, an art form that transcends borders and language barriers, a universal language that connects us all through its power to provoke feelings and emotions. Poetry, in turn, is not of today, nor of yesterday, nor of tomorrow. Poetry is simply”.
Underlining the importance of a consolidated Romanian cultural presence in Spain, the Business Officer a.i. of the Embassy of Romania, Raluca Mihăilă, referred to the prestigious award recently received by the poet Ana Blandiana: the Princess of Asturias Prize for Letters 2024. “Ana Blandiana’s courage and passion for the written word make her a reference for present and future generations. This award is the invisible link between Ana Blandiana’s pen and the heart of Spain, a bridge of poetry that unites the souls of our citizens in an embrace of words and emotions.”
The director of the Instituto Cultural Rumano in Madrid, Maria Pop, presented the Romania programme at the event, which includes book presentations, recitals, creative workshops for children and workshops on folk dance, two photographic exhibitions -Wild Romania, by Dan Dinu, which offers a spectacular view of Romania’s nature reserves at the Palace of Audience and The Atlas of Beauty, by internationally renowned artist Mihaela Noroc, that presents touching stories of women from different corners of the world, in the Centro Cultural Gaya Nuño; three film projections -Between silence and sin, by Diana Nicolae; a biographical film about the hectic life and tumultuous career of the poet Ana Blandiana; Dan Dinu’s Wild Romania, the most complex documentary dedicated to the nature of this European country, and Libertate, by Tudor Giurgiu, one of the best films about the Revolution of 1989, all contributing to the expansion of Romanian-Spanish cultural dialogues.
The EXPOESIA Book Fair continues in Soria and the programme of activities can be consulted at this link.
