More than 500 authors will be represented at this year's fair - the 17th - to take place on April 22-25. Some 50,000 books and 370 programmes await visitors to Budapest's Millenáris Park, Zentai said.
Saudi Arabia is participating at the fair for the first time. Also for the first time, authors from Brazil and Vietnam will be in Budapest. Among the returning guests are Spain, Poland, Greece and Japan.
Some 450 Hungarian writers, including ones who live in minorities outside of the country's borders will be represented at the fair.
Israel will show about 400 books - in Hungarian, English, German and Hebrew - at the fair, said Israeli ambassador to Hungary Aliza Bin-Noun. Among the books are works of literature, as well as ones about history, archaeology and Israeli society. Talks will be organised in connection with 15 of the books.
Two photography exhibits, one showing the "holy city" of Jerusalem, and the other documenting the everyday life of Israelis, will be on display for festival-goers.
The Israeli pianist Keren Haman will perform as will the Adler Trio.
Budapest's Európa Könyvkiadó will publish a new edition of Amos Oz's autobiography A Tale of Love and Darkness on the occasion of the book fair, said director Imre Barna. It will also publish for the first time the author's Rhyming Life and Death.
Within the framework of the Budapest International Book Festival, a fair showcasing the first published works of European authors will take place for the tenth time. Seventeen young authors will participate in the programme, including the Hungarian Viktor Horváth.
For the first time, the fair organisers are hosting a German-Hungarian festival together with the Goethe Institute, Zentai said. Among the professional themes to be discussed at the fair will be electronic books, the Google Books project and the Márai Programme, he added.
The Hungarian Press Agency (MTI) will have its own stand at the fair for the second year in a row this year.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
