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France to be the Guest of Honor at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2023

NDWBF 2023 will take place in the recently built Halls 2-5 GF in the conveniently placed Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from February 25 to March 5, 2023.
on Feb 20, 2023

France will serve as the Guest of Honor at the New Delhi World Book Fair, which opens its doors at Pragati Maidan on February 25, 2023, after India served as the Country of Honor at the Festival du Livre de Paris in France in April 2022.

President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on the terms of the reciprocal invitation.

The 31st New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF), conducted for the previous 50 years, is a significant occasion on the publishing calendar. NDWBF 2023 will take place in the recently built Halls 2-5 GF in the conveniently placed Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from February 25 to March 5, 2023.

The National Book Trust of India, an independent government agency under the Ministry of Education and the India Trade Promotion Organization, is organizing the Fair.

In April 2022, India's participation in the Festival du Livre Paris came to life thanks to a lineup that included many Indian publishers and some of the most avant-garde Indian authors also published in French.

Celebrity authors like Vikas Swarup, Perumal Murugan, Ajay Chowdhury, and Anuradha Roy were able to interact with French audiences.

By publishing a unique series of 10 Indian classical books illustrated by modern Indian artists, the French Publisher Les Belles Lettres gave classical Indian literature further importance.

From February 25 to March 5, Pragati Maidan, France, will be a guest of honor at the New Delhi World Book Fair.

Visitors to the book expo will have the opportunity to interact with a delegation of sixteen French writers, including Annie Ernaux, the 2022 Nobel Laureate in Literature.

This will be her first trip to India at the age of 82.

Following the opening on February 25, she will deliver a special lecture in Pragati Maidan, and on February 26, she will speak at a conference at the Shri Ram Centre.

Her works are readily accessible at their Indian prices in all of Delhi's main booksellers and have all been translated into English.

Some of the most well-known contemporary authors from a variety of literary genres, including adult fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children's books, and graphic novels, make up the delegation of authors traveling from France.

There is a particular emphasis on these last two subgenres, which are becoming increasingly well-liked among Indian readers, as shown by the popularity of the French graphic book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi there.

Twelve Indian publishers will also meet their French counterparts to swap rights and learn more about the Indian publishing sector.

There will also be representatives from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Institut français en Inde, and the French Publishing Industry Bureau (Bureau international de l'edition Francaise and Syndicat national de l'edition).

Emmanuel Lenain, the French ambassador to India, stated this before the event: "France and India are two great literary nations, and we believe in fostering greater ties between our authors, publishers, and fans. Thanks to France's involvement as the Guest of Honor of the New Delhi International Book Fair, it will be possible to give direct access to some of the greatest and most varied French literary works. All participants should enjoy their time learning French, too! Because of this, French graphic author Simon Lamouret modeled the French Pavilion after a French bookstore with a cafe inside. France has one of the most extensive networks of independent bookshops and a long history of writers' and intellectuals' gatherings in cafés. We wished to reproduce this atmosphere.

The French writers will provide lectures and workshops at prestigious universities, bookshops, and other cultural organizations like the Alliance Francaise de Delhi, in addition to participating in roundtable discussions and other special events at the book market.

With the assistance of the Alliance Francaise network, which is present in 15 locations around India, each of them will go to additional Indian cities after they visit Delhi. A means of learning about India's numerous, rich literary traditions!

The NDWBF provides exhibitors a distinctive chance to do business in the expanding book sector. Also, it is the best location for trade, co-publication agreements, and title promotion.

In addition to the numerous literary and publishing seminars and programs held during the Fair, it provides access to the South Asian publishing and intellectual communities.

Major publishing firms from all around the world attend the Fair. In 2021, the Fair was run virtually, with more than 2.8 million visitors from 70 different countries, 150 Indian exhibitors, and roughly 15 foreign exhibitors using the platform.