SIBF 2025 18-22 June, 2025 l COEX Halls A & B1
Archive
ExhibitionsㅣPerformancesㅣWorkshops and Author Events
Guest of Honor — Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is celebrating three important anniversaries in 2018 – 100 years from the founding of Czechoslovakia (1918), 50 years from the Prague Spring (1968) and 25 years from the establishment of the Czech Republic (1993).
The Czech Republic will launch two exhibitions during the Seoul International Book Fair. The exhibition project 〈12 Worlds〉 represents work of 12 contemporary Czech illustrators and comics authors, who are earning acclaim both at home and in the international arena. The exhibition 〈Meanwhile, elsewhere〉 aims to recap the national comics history and the reflection of history through comics. The Czech Republic also aims to take a closer approach to overseas publishing experts the same as Korean readers through several other events as performances, workshops or autograph sessions.
Meeting with 6 Czech Authors
Michal Ajvaz
Michal Ajvaz is a renowned Czech translator, poet and writer whose works might be described as playful literary fantasies filled with symbolism. His stories are full of landscapes behind mirrors, plays on words, parallel worlds and people escaping into them. Michal Ajvaz studied Czech language and aesthetics at Charles University in Prague. Although he has been writing with various intervals since he was fifteen, his first book was published when he was in his forties. He won the Jaroslav Seifert Prize (2005), the most prestigious Czech literary prize Magnesia Litera for the Book of the Year (2012) and the French Utopiales Européen Prize for science fiction (2015). His books have been translated into English, French, Japanese, Italian, Croatian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Russian and Korean.
Bianca Bellová
Bianca Bellová is a Czech translator, interpreter and writer with Bulgarian roots. Her books often dealing with last decades of communist era and interpersonal relationships are full of cynicism and humour. Bellová has a great narrative talent and a good eye for interpersonal interactions. She does not shy away from raising unsettling questions, as well as touching on the grand themes of our times. In 2009 she published her first book - Sentimental Novel depicting the trials of growing up at the end of the communist regime. Her second novel, a bitter story about the 1970s and ’80s in the Czechoslovakia, Dead Man was well received by critics and translated into German. In 2017 her latest novel Lake won the most prestigious Czech literary prize Magnesia Litera for the Book of the Year and European Union Prize for Literature. It will be published into 16 languages.
Marek Šindelka
Marek Šindelka is a successful young poet and prose writer. He graduated in cultural studies from Charles University in Prague. In 2006 he was awarded Jiří Orten Prize for his debut Strychnine and Other Poems, which reflects experiences from his personal life. After that indelka preferred prose and wrote a novel Abberant about a flower smuggler Kryštof. The novel was used as the basis for the comic by Czech comics author Vojtěch Mašek. The short stories Stay Tuned received widespread critical acclaim and won the Magnesia Litera Award for prose in 2012. Two years later he published another book of short stories A Map of Anna. His last novel Material Fatigue dealing with the migrant crisis in Europe won Magnesia Litera Award for prose in 2017. His books have been published in English, Dutch, Polish, Hungarian and Bulgarian.
Renáta Fučíková
Renáta Fučíková is an outstanding Czech illustrator and writer of literature for children. She studied illustration and applied graphics at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. At first she illustrated many fairy tales by classical authors as Brothers Grimm or H. h. Andersen. But later on she also started writing books mainly focusing on Czech history and most significant Czech personalities (Old Bohemian and Moravian Legends, Charles IV, 7 7 Prague Legends, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Tales of Czech Princes and Kings, John Amos Comenius, Antonín Dvořák etc.). In collaboration with the author Daniela Krolupperová she created her largest work - a five-hundred- page illustrated History of Europe. She has won many awards including first prize at the Biennial of Illustration in Tehran in 1997 as well as olden Ribbon Award for several times. She was nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for three times.
Petr Nikl
Petr Nikl is a Czech artist, writer, illustrator, musician and dramatist. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. In 1995 he received the most important Czech art prize for young artists. His first book A Fairy Tale About a Wee Fish Named Rybitinka was published soon afterwards in English. The next fairy tale book Rybaba and the Sea Soul became the Most Beautiful Book of the Year. All his other books as Linguistic Fairy Tales, Puzzles, Deer, Across Puzzles, Yellow Lions or The Weirdos from New York were very successful and published in English, French, Italian and other languages. He was awarded many prizes including Golden Ribbon Award for three times, the Ministry of Culture Award (1997, 2001 a 2002) and Magnesia Litera Award for the Book of the Year and the Book for Children and Youth (2008).
Martin Vopěnka
Martin Vopěnka is a Czech writer, publisher, journalist, traveller, Chairman of the Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers and the owner of Práh Publishing House. He studied nuclear physics, but later on he became a publisher and writer. He made his literary debut in 1989. He has written several travelogues, novels and books for children and youth. In his works he deals with psychological, ethical and philosophical themes and reflections on the state and future development of the overtechnized world. He won the Golden Ribbon Award or best literature for youth in 2016 for his book New Planet and was nominated in the same category in 2014 for the last part of his trilogy for young adults Sleeping Secret. His books have been translated into English, Polish, Russian, Arabic and Romanian.
Special Exhibitions
12 Worlds — Contemporary Czech Children’s Book Illustrators and Comics Authors
Exhibition project 12 Worlds represents work of 12 contemporary Czech illustrators and comics authors, who are earning acclaim both at home and in the international arena.
Each one is connected with an original style confirmed in numerous books praised by critics and readers alike; each work represents a special world of places, characters and events not only in words and pictures, but also in other media such as film, performances, music, theatre and photography.
The curator of the exhibition Radim Kopáč (1976) is a literary and art critic and an author of numerous books on the history of literature and culture working on the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. To know another world is to possess another soul. Besides beautiful books and illustrations visitors can enjoy various activities and workshops.
Meanwhile, Elsewhere ― A Hundred Year History of Czech Comics
Meanwhile, Elsewhere ― A Hundred Year History of Czech Comics
The hundred-year anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia (1918) offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to recap the national comics history and the reflection of history through comics.
The exhibition aims at presenting Czech comics art in the full diversity of its likenesses and in historical contexts. With the thematic focus on central genres, turning points, and intercultural inspiration, it seeks to offer a kind of spectrum of stories about modern Czech comics and its “first century”. The unsystematic diversification seems to be particularly suitable for telling the story of Czech comics – what happened meanwhile, elsewhere, and how, will help us better understand the here and now.
The curators Pavel Kořínek a Tomáš Prokůpek engaging in the comics history, the same as contemporary comics, represent the most respected Czech specialists.
Lecture／Seminar
Seminar on the Czech Publishing Market
Martin Vopěnka, Chairman of the Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers gives a presentation about Czech publishing market, its current status, and business opportunity for international publishing house within Czech.
ㅣSpeaker: Martin Vopěnka (Chairman of the Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers)
- Date/Time: June 20 (Wed) 13:00–14:00
- Location: Event Hall 1
Meet the Authors ― Michal Ajvaz, Bianca Bellová, Marek Šindelka
The 3rd generation of Czech poet and prosateur Michal Ajvaz, Bianca Bellová and Marek Šindelka meet readers in Korea and internatioal publishers, introduce their works and discuss about modern Czech literature.
ㅣSpeaker: Michal Ajvaz (Translator, Writer), Bianca Bellová (Translator, Writer), Marek Šindelka (Poet, Prose Writer)
- Date/Time: June 22 (Fri) 15:00–16:00
- Location: Event Hall 1
Meet the Authors ― Renáta Fučí ková, Petr Nikl, Martin Vopěnka
Three prominent writers who is specialized in Children's literature and Young adult literature meet readers in Korea and internatioal publishers, introduce their works and Children/Young adult literature in Czech.
ㅣSpeakers: Renáta Fučíková (Illustrator, Writer), Petr Nikl (Writer, Illustrator, Musician), Martin Vopěnka (Writer, Publisher, Journalist)
- Date/Time: June 23 (Sat) 11:00–12:00
- Location: Event Hall 1
Launching Michal Ajvaz's Korean Translation of the Book 〈The Other City〉
The Embassy of the Czech Republic in South Korea and publisher Happy Reading Books are hosting a commemorative event for the publication of the novel 'The Other City' by the prominent Czech translator, poet, and author Michal Ajvaz. The event features an introduction to the author and the book, followed by a talking session with the author Michal Ajvaz and Professor Kim Kyu-jin, who handled the Korean translation of his book.
ㅣSpeakers: Michal Ajvaz (Novelist), Kim kyu-jin (Professor)
- Date/Time: June 24 (Sun) 13:00–14:00
- Location: Event Hall 1
Cultural Program
Opening Ceremony for Seoul International Book Fair 2018 ＆ Czech Republic pavillion
- Date/Time: June 20 (Wed) 11:00–12:20
- Location: Entrance at Hall A
Czech Classical Music Performance
- Date/Time: June 20 (Wed) 15:00–15:30
- Location: Guest of Honor Czech pavillion (Hall A, D1)
Robotic Beetles ― Petr Nikl's Performance
- Date/Time: June 22 (Fri) 17:00–
- Location: Guest of Honor Czech pavillion (Hall A, D1)
Czech Crown Making Workshop
- Date/Time: June 23 (Sat) 14:00–15:00
- Location: Guest of Honor Czech pavillion (Hall A, D1)
Praha Housebuilding Workshop
- Date/Time: June 23 (Sat) 16:00–17:00
- Location: Guest of Honor Czech pavillion (Hall A, D1)
Czech Crown Making Workshop
- Date/Time: June 24 (Sun) 11:00–12:00
- Location: Guest of Honor Czech pavillion (Hall A, D1)
Praha Housebuilding Workshop
- Date/Time: June 24 (Sun) 15:00–16:00
- Location: Guest of Honor Czech pavillion (Hall A, D1)
