the 26th São Paulo International Book Biennial starts this Saturday (2) in São Paulo and continues until July 10th. This year, the literary event honors Portugal and innovates in its recreational spaces. Gastronomy, literature, popular culture, business and lectures encompass the event, which expects to receive 600,000 visitors.
In numbers, the Bienal presents itself with 1,300 hours of cultural programming, 500 attractions, 185 exhibitors, 65,000 m² of occupancy, 300 national and international authors, 3 million books and eight cultural spaces.
The 26th edition marks the resumption of the event in the face-to-face format, which has not taken place since 2018, as the 2020 edition was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, the Bienal takes place for the first time at Expo Center Norte, in the North Zone of São Paulo.
The president of the Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL), Vitor Tavares, highlights that the event is a “sensory fair in which the book is the protagonist”; with Portugal as guest of honor and Portuguese authors famous in Brazil.
“It will be possible to see, hear, touch and even experience the works. There will be poetry on paper and edible ink to be literally tasted. From an economic point of view, it represents a rebirth of the publishing market, helped not only by the event’s momentum, but also by the effective business perspectives, including abroad, most significantly with Portugal”, says Tavares.
To celebrate 200 years of Brazilian independence, the Bienal pays tribute to Portugal, which brings a delegation and a special program at the “Portugal Pavilion”, with artists and the discussion around Portuguese literature, with emphasis on the writer and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, José Saramago .
Laurentino Gomes, Aline Bei, Conceição Evaristo, Itamar Vieira, Mauricio de Sousa, Mario Sergio Cortella are some of the names that represent national literature in this edition of the Bienal, with lectures on various topics, always related to the dynamics explored in their works.
Composing a part of the team of international authors, the event welcomes Portuguese Valter Hugo Mother American writers Brian Zepka , Nathan Harris – author recommended by Oprah and Barack Obama – in addition to Jenna Evans Welch author of the bestsellers “Amor & Gelato”, “Amor & Luck” and “Amor & Olives”.
Journalists, presenters and businessmen are also part of the event’s cultural grid. The complete program can be viewed here.
interactive spaces
Gastronomy
The space “Cozinhando com Palavras” brings an unusual proposal: the mixture of literature and cuisine.
The dynamics will provide tastings, tributes to Portuguese gastronomy and a hint of Brazilian literary modernism. “Portuguese sweets”, which teaches how to pair coffee with Portuguese sweets, is one of the conversation circles in this space.
Curated by André Boccato, the event will be attended by chefs such as Alex Atala, Laurent Suaudeau, Rodrigo Oliveira, Vitor Sobral, Janaína Rueda, Morena Leite, Carole Crema between others.
space for children
The Children’s Space will have 28 educational activities for the little ones. The program includes thematic workshops, storytelling and activities that involve children with their families. The curator is Elisabete da Cruz.
As Portugal is this year’s honored country, the children’s space’s narrative is to present the program in four chapters that allude to colonization.
Like adults, children will also participate in activities with the authors: “Refugees in search of a new home”, “How to talk to children about empathy” and “Democracy for Children” are some of the topics covered.
Mario Sergio Cortella, Paulo Jebaili, Larissa Ribeiro and Pedro Markun are some of the guests who interact with children.
string and sudden
An exclusive area to highlight the arts of cordel, sudden and woodcut. The theme of the stand in this edition of the Bienal will be “Sertão de Carne e Alma”, a tribute to the repentista, journalist, poet and researcher Rogaciano Leite.
The environment of “Cordel e Repente” will be mounted on a cart, adapted as a stage, for the presentations of the repentistas and reciters in rural aesthetic elements. More than 100 artists will be gathered in the space that gives voice to representatives from all the northeastern states.
Curator Lucinda Marques, from Câmara Cearense do Livro (CCL), says that participation brings more expectation with the return of the face-to-face event and integration of Northeastern culture, in the main literary meeting in Latin America.
Brazilian read more books during the pandemic
The Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL), director of the Bienal, highlights that during the pandemic, Brazilians read more than usual.
This reality, according to Vitor Tavares, was present not only through social distancing, but also through the expansion of ways to acquire books, facilitated by the internet.
“Literary fairs that take place across the country always help demand and greater interest in books. The diversity of literary genres also contributes to reaching a greater number of reading adepts,” he said.
Research shows that the average Brazilian reading is 2.5 books/year, but the president of the CBL admits that there is a movement so that, in the short term, this per capita index doubles and reaches 5 works per year.
Service
26th São Paulo International Book Biennial
Place: Expo Center Norte – Rua José Bernardo Pinto, 333 | Vila Guilherme | Sao Paulo
(Buses will run to and from Expo Center Norte from Portuguesa-Tietê station (North-South Line) every day of the event)
Date: 2nd to 10th of July 2022
Schedules: Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 10 pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 10 pm. Entrance to the event until 21:00. Day 10/07, entry until 19:00
Tickets: Full R$30.00, students R$15.00 (under 12, over 60 and holders of a full Sesc credential do not pay admission). Entry can be purchased at event website.
Cashback: Tickets purchased before June 30th receive “cashback”, that is, the return of a part of the amount paid – in this case, R$10 for the entire ticket and R$5 for the half-price.
Source: CNN Brasil
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