US Embassy aims to deepen strong Romania-US friendship ties at Bookfest

Ambassador of the US in Bucharest Hans Klemm stated in a release sent to AGERPRES that the US diplomatic mission aims to deepen the strong friendship ties between Romanian and the US at this year's edition of the Bookfest. 

This year, the US is the honor guest of the Bookfest International Book Salon, which is to take place at Romexpo between 30 May and 3 June. 

The focus will be placed on South US authors. 

The US diplomat brought to mind that the US is a nation with a dynamic literary legacy, and the South is one of the regions with the richest traditions of story-telling. He added that Mark Twain, Flannery O'Connor, Alice Walker, Harper Lee or William Faulkner are just some of the greatest US authors coming from the South. He went on saying that only by reading the literature of a country one can learn about that country's culture, history and identity. 

He also brought to mind that four authors are invited at this year's edition, whose experiences from the South of the US have influenced their writing. The US official added that the four US authors will hold literary presentations and workshops, in order to offer professional advices to Romanian authors and share their stories with the people of this extraordinary country. 

Klemm says that his objectives as Ambassador of the US are the promotion of security, democracy and prosperity, adding that through this year's edition of the Bookfest he hopes to promote these goals, encouraging the exchange of ideas and information, identity and culture, thus, further deepening the strong friendship ties between Romania and the US. 

Over 150 publishing houses are set to participate in the Bookfest Book Salon, which is to take place in the Bucharest Capital City between May 30 and June 3, with the US Ambassador Klemm paying a homage, in this context, to his former professor, writer Matei Calinescu. 

The event dedicated to Matei Calinescu will take place on May 31, with the writer's wife as a special guest and also authors Radu Paraschivescu and Ion Vianu participating, according to an announcement made by the organizers. 

The US' participation in this year's edition of the Bookfest will have the motto "Celebrating the South", with the Romanian audience having the opportunity to meet authors from the US, from several areas. Thus, the Bookfest visitors will be able to meet novelist and playwright Domnica Radulescu - established in the US since 1983, back then as a political refugee; the poet and author of historic novel Sarah Kennedy; poet Tara Skurtu, established in Bucharest, and Sucheta Rawal - an appreciated writer of travel journals and food books. 

The 13th edition of the Bookfest International Book Salon will take place in the new B2 pavilion of the ROMEXPO Exhibition Center, and it will cover an area larger by 50 percent than in the previous years. The entry to the event is free of charge.