Expert: In Armenia, people started reading more books in Armenian

ArmInfo.  People in Armenia have started reading more books published in Armenian, as stated by Ani Ghazaryan, the director of the Yerevan Book Fest (YBF), in an interview with an ArmInfo correspondent.

Noting her extensive experience in the literary field, the head of  YBF said that 10 years ago, Russian- language literature was the  undisputed leader in sales. "There was no even any talk about  classical Armenian literature," Ghazaryan said. Today, the sales  figures for books published in Russian and Armenian have become  equal. "This is very important," the expert noted.

During the conversation, she also highlighted the  importance of  conducting surveys in our country to determine interest in reading.  According to Ghazaryan, the most recent survey was conducted by  Brevis in 2020, revealing that only 30% of the population are  readers,  with the overwhelming majority being women. Discussing the  upcoming book festival, which will be held for the 8th time, she  mentioned that, in addition to traditional events, an interesting and  important initiative will be implemented. As part of the festival,  B2B meetings will  be held for Armenian and foreign publishers. As a  result of the negotiations, the latter will agree to publish works by  Armenian authors ( presented by local publications) that they like in  their native language. "This will be the beginning of  establishing  cultural ties," the director said.  Ghazaryan also noted that  publishing representatives from Italy, Greece, Latvia, Georgia and  other countries have been invited to the festival.

Note that the Yerevan Book Festival will take place from September 5  to 7 this year, bringing together over 200 writers, 50 publishing  houses, as well as many readers and literary critics. The festival  venues will include Republic Square, the National Art Gallery and the  History Museum. For the full program of the festival, please visit:  https://www.evnbookfest.com/ru.

The festival is supported by the Ministry of Education, Science,  Culture and Sports of Armenia and the Yerevan Municipality. Last  year, the event attracted over 30,000 attendees,  including visitors  from neighboring countries.