Book Fair closes in La Cabaña
●In three days time extends to eastern and central regions

Madeleine Sautié Rodríguez

ON Sunday, the 19th International Book Fair celebrated its closing event in the Morro-Cabaña Fortress, in the confidence that the successful book fiesta is to move on to 15 other cities in the country.

AEE ceremony was attended by Culture Minister Abel Prieto; Zuleica Romay, president of the Cuban Book Institute; Mijail Kaminin, Russian ambassador to Cuba; and Pavel Joroshilov, Russian deputy minister of Culture, among others. During the closing event, prizes were awarded to the best exhibition pavilions. More than 450,000 people attended the book fair, buying 900,000 copies of approximately 2,000 books.

The jury, headed by Jaime Sarusky, considered the Russian Pavilion to be the best foreign exhibit, given the solid and successful display offered and awarded an honorable mention to the Mercie Group Publishing House. The prize for the best national exhibit was awarded to Gente Nueva for "the colorful and lively publication collection of children’s literature and its achievement despite scarce resources." Honorable mentions were also awarded to the Center for Jose Marti Studies and Ediciones Vigía

Kaminin, who gave the closing speech, congratulated everyone who made the magnificent fiesta possible and thanked the event’s organizers for their help. "Once again political and economic relations – and now cultural ones too – from both countries will take on new strength. From this point onward, Russia will always be present," he stated and wished success to the 20th International Book Fair.