《TAIPEI TIMES》 ‘Witcher’ author to attend Taipei book fair

By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff writer

Several distinguished Polish authors are to attend the Taipei International Book Exhibition next year, in which Poland is to be the guest of honor, the Ministry of Culture said yesterday.

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The book fair, with the theme “The Multiverse of Reading,” is to be held from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5 on the first floor of the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1.

Tickets to the fair are on sale now, the ministry said.

Eight authors, poets, picture book creators and illustrators are to represent Poland at the fair, the ministry said.

The organizer first invited Poland as a guest of honor in 2017 and the invitation materialized after more than two years of preparation, the ministry’s Department of Humanities and Publications Director Chen Ying-fang （陳瑩芳） told a news conference.

Poland and Taiwan share many similarities, such as “the values of freedom and human rights, as well as fairness and justice,” she said, adding that Polish attendees at the event would interact with Taiwanese visitors to the fair.

The attendees are to include Andrzej Sapkowski, author of the best-selling Witcher series of books, and Witold Szablowski, several of whose books have been translated into Mandarin, the ministry said.

The Polish Pavilion is to consist of three main sections, featuring historical books, children’s picture books and historical collections, it said.

Copies of some historical publications, including the musical score for Polish-French pianist Frederic Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus’ On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, are to be displayed at the book fair, the ministry said.

A Poland Night is to be held on Feb. 4, featuring Polish cuisine and a music performance by Dagadana, a Polish-Ukrainian band that fuses jazz, electronic and folk music, it said.

Italy, France, Germany and South Korea, among others, are also to set up pavilions at the fair, the ministry said.

Booths at the fair would be placed apart as a COVID-19 prevention measure, it said, adding that the setup would also allow visitors to walk around comfortably.

People younger than 18 and foreigners can attend the fair free of charge, the ministry said, adding that those who present a Taiwan Railways Administration or high-speed rail ticket purchased on the day of entry in locations outside of Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung would also be granted free entrance.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES