Oradea is hosting the Bookfest Book Fair for the first time, bringing more than 30,000 books to the city, alongside prominent figures from Romanian literature and culture, international authors, book launches, debates and meetings with readers.

For four days, from 5 to 8 November, the Sion Neolog Synagogue becomes a venue for cultural dialogue, giving readers the opportunity to discover new books, meet their favourite authors and attend numerous free events.

The first edition of Bookfest Oradea was officially opened on Thursday in the presence of representatives of local and county authorities, the organisers and cultural institutions.

The importance of institutional cooperation between local and county authorities, cultural institutions and the fair organisers was highlighted by all the speakers attending the opening ceremony. However, Lidia Bodea, Vice-President of the Romanian Publishers Association, put it most eloquently, arguing that such cooperation should become a genuine national project.

'Thank you for using the phrase 'good cooperation between institutions,' because we are returning to Bucharest hoping to persuade institutions to work together so that Romanian literature can be properly represented in 2028 in Frankfurt. Good cooperation between institutions should be a national project,' Lidia Bodea said, referring to Romania's participation as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt International Book Fair in 2028.

Ancuta Schiop, Director of the Bihor County Library, said that Bookfest was the result of an initiative launched five years ago through a partnership between Bihor County Council, Oradea City Hall and the County Library. During this period, the institutions have worked to modernise the circulation of books and access for readers, expand the library's collections and encourage greater interest in reading across the county.

'We are in the midst of an event that has become possible precisely because of this good cooperation between institutions. It all started five years ago, when the County Council, together with Oradea City Hall and the County Library, began changing the approach to managing the book collection,' Ancuta Schiop said.

Visit Oradea Director Alex Chira highlighted the contribution of the Visit Oradea and Oradea Heritage teams to organising the event by providing infrastructure and technical support.

He also stressed the importance of making heritage buildings more accessible to the public by hosting cultural events that bring such venues to the attention of the community, giving the synagogue as an example.

Oradea Mayor Florin Birta praised the efforts of the organisers and partners, expressing his confidence that Bookfest would become a tradition in the city. The mayor also drew attention to the role of reading in developing the ability to assess information critically, at a time when social media is awash with messages that are difficult to verify.

'I believe reading is very important, especially nowadays, when information is often circulated on social media and we can no longer tell what is fact and what is fiction. Reading gives us the opportunity to sift through this information and verify it,' Florin Birta said.

In turn, Bihor County Council Vice-President Horea Abrudan highlighted the ability of the Bihor community to rally around cultural projects and the cooperation between local authorities and cultural institutions across the county.

The Bookfest event marks a first for the city's cultural life, giving the people of Bihor access to a major book fair with a diverse publishing offer and an extensive programme of meetings with authors. The significance of this occasion lies both in the presence of established writers and in the opportunity to bring the Romanian publishing world closer to readers.

Guests at this inaugural edition include Gabriel Liiceanu, Doina Rusti, Armand Gosu, Dennis Deletant, Radu Paraschivescu and Tatiana Niculescu, alongside Tudor Dinu, Catalin Vasilescu, Filip Florian, Radu Pavel Gheo, Alina Pavelescu, Ioan F. Pop, Cristian Preda, Florin Ardelean, Miron Beteg, Mihai Maci and many others.

The meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss literature, history, society and current cultural affairs, as well as the books that bring authors closer to their readers.

Book lovers will also have more than 30,000 volumes to choose from, brought to the fair by well-known Romanian publishers. The selection covers a wide range of subjects, and visitors will be able to purchase books at discounted prices, with most publishers preparing special offers for the event.

Participating publishers include Humanitas, Polirom, ART, Corint, Litera, Paralela 45, Trei, Vellant, Niculescu, Hasefer, Bookzone, Editura Casa and Ratio et Revelatio, as well as the publishing house of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi and other publishing houses.

The Bookfest Book Fair is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00 at the Sion Neolog Synagogue. Admission is free, both to the publishers' stands and to all events organised as part of the fair. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eugenia Pasca; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)