Bangkok never gets enough of book-related happenings. Set aside the National Book Fair and Bangkok International Book Fair in April and Bangkok Book Expo in October, the capital is about to have another book event, the Bangkok Book Festival 2015, which claims to be not just another commercial affair.
The first Bangkok Book Festival 2015 (BBF 2015), which runs from Friday to Sunday at the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC) will be different from the usual book fairs, staged twice annually at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
“BBF 2015 is going to be a venue where writers, readers, publishers and artists meet, discuss, network and exchange ideas. It is not going to be another book-selling event,” says Prabda Yoon, SEA Write winner and publisher, who also serves as the creative director of this event.
So bookworms who aim to stockpile discount books may be let down as this festival will cater to passionate publishers and book lovers.
BBF 2015 is Thailand’s first literary festival. The festival has an interesting line-up which aims to enchant visitors with workshops and talks on the art and craft of book production such as typography, illustration and even bookbinding. A number of contemporary writers like Fah Poonworalak, Wad Ravee or literary titan Suchart Sawatsri, national artist for literature, not to mention academics and book translators, will speak at the event. There are also a few book launches, accompanied by book talks (and autograph signings) at Bookmoby bookshop on the 4th floor of BAAC.
The highlight is an exhibition displaying book covers by National Artist Chuang Moolpinit in the BACC lobby. Most of these covers come from his drawing for sultry and erotic novels penned by the late Rong Wongsawan. One of the not-to-be-missed events is the talk by renowned Japanese street photographer Kayo Ume. For bold entrepreneurs with dreams of opening a bookshop, Kenny Leck, owner of BooksActually, a famous independent bookshop in Singapore, will provide them with a business compass and fire to light up their passions.
The eclectic events might be a novelty for Thailand, where a book fair means a time to buy books at discounted prices. But BBF 2015 is created to be a left-field draw that will promote a reading culture in the country.
Book covers by National Artist Chuang Moolpinit.
“Thailand has had a frequent amount of book fairs, but never a literary festival,” says Prabda, also the vice-president on foreign affairs of The Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand.
In May, Prabda was elected the president of the Asia Pacific Publishers Association, a regional trade association, making him the first Thai to serve in the position. Suffice to say, the 42-year-old writer who perceived as a wunderkind of the literary scene is seen as torchbearer to bring the struggling and underfunded book industry of Thailand into the future.
And the BBF 2015 reflects his vision for the industry, but more importantly his dream for writers, publishers and readers.
“I wish to see reading as part of our lives. I wish to see people thinking of which books to read or what bookshops they will visit. In those countries with a robust reading culture, people will think which books they will read during the weekend, and they will follow new book launches and read book reviews,” Prabda says.
For him, a robust reading culture is not just a state of mind, but a vital ingredient of a thriving book industry.
“A robust reading culture will create a domino effect,” he adds. “Writers and publishers will get a morale boost to create books of higher quality.”
