The best season of the year in which to read books, autumn, is slowly stretching across Korea this October and brings with it a yearly book festival.

On Oct. 1, the Paju Booksori 2016 festival will bring together more than 200 publishing houses to showcase their publications, mainly on the humanities, culture and art, as well as to allow writers to meet first-hand with their readers. The three-day festival will host about 100 events, under the theme of “Avid Reading and Passion" (열독열정, 熱讀熱情).

Festival goers will be able to meet in-person with a select group of their favorite authors to talk about their literature. Passages from well-known books will be recited to live audiences, in particular featuring some parts of Yun Dong-ju's poems that will be read out on stage. The show was directed by Kim Kil-ryeo, a director known for his Korean musical productions of “Mamma Mia” and “The Phantom of The Opera.”



Chinese authors will join the festival, too. Famed Chinese book designer Lu Jingren (뤼진렁, 呂敬人) will show up with 10 understudies for the special exhibition “Transmission and Creation: Lu Jingren’s Book Designs and His Students.”

The Chinese designer has been lauded as a pioneer in book design who has designed not only book covers, but also fonts and leaves for the book. His Paju exhibition will have on display more than 1,000 book designs on which he worked together with his understudies.

Along with Lu, 11 other Chinese designers and writers, including Liu Xiaoxiang (류샤오상, 刘晓翔), Yang Linqing (양린칭, 杨林请), Xiao Mage (시아오마거, 小马哥) and Wu Yong (우용, 吴勇), will share their art in a special conference.





Sideline events include the Booksori Parade 2016 where people transform themselves into characters from cartoons and march together on the street, the Book Market, with books for sale at lower-than-usual prices, and even the Late-night Library, where people can stay up all night reading. A book-and-concert will bring together writers and musicians, too.

“This is one of the biggest book festivals in Asia, allowing book lovers to better understand humanity, knowledge, culture and the arts,” said an official from the festival organizing committee. “Hopefully, you will be able to start October with this festival, expanding your knowledge with your family, friends and loved ones.”

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Paju Booksori 2016, Bookcity Culture Foundation
jiae5853@korea.kr