Belgrade Book Fair

This is the cultural event in Belgrade that I love to hate, generating more pet peeves for me than any other.

It never fails to turn into an ordeal. First off, it's too crowded and there are way too many stalls. Naturally, you don't want to miss anything, because it's such a huge and important event and all, so you elbow your way to literary delights until you're dehydrated, dizzy, with a massive headache and too many bags to carry around. About as hectic as like last-minute Christmas shopping.

On the other hand, I love it because I always find great stuff there. This year I went with a list of desiderata with Iain Banks and Margaret Atwood among the top five (thanks for the tip, Dragana!). Not that they're difficult to find in local bookshops, but the discounts were really amazing. I got home with a supply of books that is bound to last until spring.

One thing I was really sorry about was not saying hello to one of my favourite authors, Croatian novelist Miljenko Jergovic. I kept bumping into him all the time (I hope he didn't think I was stalking him!). It was only days after I finished reading his Mama Leone. The book really touched me; excellent piece of writing. I'm certain to blog about it in the next instalment of my book reviews some time in December. I hope he'll be at the Fair next year.

There was one notable change that I feel I should mention: the removal of most of the fast food kiosks from the grounds. No as much smoke from all the kebabs and burgers... Although I'm left wondering whether it's a case of a new cultural policy or perhaps of giving monopoly on feeding the starved masses of Serbian bookworms to that one lone strategically positioned burger joint.

P.S. And the Zen award goes to the British Council for their quite unusual presence. They went minimalist this year, with nothing but a tiny information desk in the middle of a large and totally empty space. Go figure.