Lisbon Book Fair returns
The Lisbon Book Fair opened on Wednesday with 350 pavilions, around 900 publishing imprints and more than 2,200 events scheduled until 14 June.
The 96th Lisbon Book Fair (Feira do Livro de Lisboa) opened on Wednesday at Parque Eduardo VII with 350 pavilions representing around 900 publishing imprints and a 19 day programme already listing more than 2,200 events.
For the third consecutive year, the event maintained the same number of pavilions because the country’s “largest open air bookshop” has reached the maximum occupation capacity available along Alameda do Parque Eduardo VII.
The fair has 128 confirmed participants, including five new participants this year.
According to the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL), which organises the fair in partnership with Lisbon City Council, the programme includes autograph sessions, book presentations, debates, family activities and meetings with Portuguese and international authors.
APEL said the current figure of more than 2,200 events was expected to grow during the fair.
The site again includes seven squares and several improvements in mobility, accessibility and services, from book delivery across the country to sustainable mobility partnerships and reinforced conditions for visitors with specific needs.
Hours and discounts
The fair opens every day at 12:00, except on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, when it opens at 10:00.
Closing time is usually 22:00, except on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays, when the fair remains open until 23:00.
The Hora H campaign returned, allowing visitors to buy selected books with discounts of at least 50% on works published outside the restrictions of the Fixed Book Price Law.
Hora H takes place from Monday to Thursday during the final hour of the fair, between 21:00 and 22:00, except on public holidays.
On the eve of public holidays, the campaign runs until 23:00.
The first week of the fair, on 27 and 28 May, was not included in the campaign.
Publishers also kept the usual “books of the day”, selected daily by each publisher and sold with special discounts.
Special promotions in the first days of the fair included “Don Quixote de la Mancha”, by Miguel de Cervantes, for €8.90, “The Metamorphosis”, by Franz Kafka, for €5.34, “Swann’s Way”, by Marcel Proust, for €9.50, “Dom Casmurro”, by Machado de Assis, for €8.40, and “One Thousand and One Nights” for €9.55 on 30 May.
On 31 May, visitors could find “Looking for Spinoza”, by Portuguese neuroscientist António Damásio, for €11.94, “Apontar é Feio”, by Portuguese comedian Joana Marques, for €10.62, “The House of the Spirits”, by Chilean author Isabel Allende, for €11.31, “The Civilization of the Spectacle”, by Peruvian Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, for €10.62, and “It”, by American author Stephen King, for €13.32.
Authors and guests
Among the Portuguese authors scheduled for the first weekend, novelist José Luís Peixoto was due at 15:00 on 30 May at the Porto Editora and Bertrand Editora space.
Portuguese travel writer Gonçalo Cadilhe was scheduled for 16:00 on the same day at the Clube do Autor pavilion.
Portuguese writer Afonso Reis Cabral was also due to take part in a Leya session at 15:00 on 30 May.
On 31 May, Portuguese writer Gonçalo M. Tavares was scheduled for an autograph session at 17:30 at the Relógio D’Água pavilion.
On the same day, Angolan writer José Eduardo Agualusa was due to take part in a session linked to the book “Tudo Sobre Deus” at 15:00 at the Porto Editora and Bertrand Editora space.
Portuguese writer Madalena Sá Fernandes was scheduled for an autograph session at 16:30 on 10 June at the Penguin Random House square.
Among international guests, Spanish author Layla Martínez was due to take part in the Antígona Reading Club on 5 June at 18:00 on the fair lawn for a conversation about “Caruncho”.
British fantasy writer Samantha Shannon was scheduled for an autograph session at 14:00 on 6 June at the Grupo Infinito Particular pavilion, where she was due to present “The Priory of the Orange Tree” and “A Day of Fallen Night”.
Also on 6 June, at 17:00, Nigerian writer Oyinkan Braithwaite was due to sign “My Sister, the Serial Killer” and “Cursed Daughters” at the Porto Editora and Bertrand Editora space.
Writer and editor Alberto Manguel was scheduled to take part in a debate at 19:00 on 4 June at Praça Laranja, followed by an autograph session at 19:45 at the Tinta da China pavilion.
Portuguese journalist and novelist Patrícia Reis was due at 15:00 on 7 June at the Bertrand space to sign “A Última Lição de Álvaro Siza Vieira”.
American journalist and cultural critic Sophie Gilbert was scheduled for a conversation about “Girl on Girl” at 19:00 on 13 June at Praça Laranja.
Cinema, food and families
New features this year included Saturday night film sessions in partnership with Cine Society, through an initiative called “Cine Sábado”.
The programme also introduced silent reading experiences, with daily “silent reading parties” using headphones and literary curation by Tale House.
Music remained part of Friday nights through the “Sextas Há Música” cycle.
Children’s and family programming also continued, including the return of “Acampar com Histórias”.
Environmental sustainability remained part of the fair through “Vamos plantar livros”, an initiative that converts the number of books sold into reforestation actions.
Beyond books, the site includes cinema sessions, children’s activities, rest areas and almost 40 food and drink spaces, ranging from farturas and pizzas to burgers, pokes and empanadas.
The full programme and activities are available through the Lisbon Book Fair organisation’s page.