Graz House of Literature

City animals meet new fairy tales at bookolino

Program presentation: City Councillor for Culture Günter Riegler, Irene Hetzenauer, Bettina Deutsch-Dabernig, Jörg Ehtreiber and Klauskastberger (from left).(Bild: © KIMUS/Petra Heider)

bookolino, the literature festival for young readers, attracts visitors to the Graz House of Literature from November 7 to 20 with readings, hands-on theater and workshops. Thanks to a cooperation with the Graz Children's Museum, there is also a new exhibition concept.

Many young book fans have been waiting all year for these two weeks. But now the time has come. The 21st edition of bookolino starts today and, thanks to organizer Irene Hetzenauer, the literature festival for a young audience once again has an exciting programme to offer.

Colorful, dense program
36 renowned authors, award-winning illustrators and captivating actors and groups provide exciting readings, interesting workshops and fun theater to participate in. There will also be plenty of reading material to browse through. In addition to the elegantly designed reading room and the book exchange, the bookshop will of course be waiting for its young customers again this year. And while last year everything revolved around paper, this year the focus is on the idea and how a story develops from it.

House of Literature and Children's Museum cooperate
A new feature is the cooperation with the Graz children's museum FRida & freD, which is contributing its expertise to the hands-on and book exhibition. Based on the award-winning children's books "Josch der Frosch(könig)" by Petra Piuk and Gemma Palacio (Leykam) and Michael Hammerschmid's "stopptanzstill!" (Picus), curator Bettina Deutsch-Dabernig not only retells well-known fairy tales, but also writes poems and stories about city animals. In addition, the flexible, sustainable shelving system, which will be used again and again in the coming years, also offers the opportunity for hidden reading corners and small retreats.

This year, everything revolves around the power of ideas and the written word.

bookolino-Organisatorin Irene Hetzenauer

Klaus Kastberger, head of the Literaturhaus, emphasizes the importance of this cooperation in times of shrinking cultural budgets, and Jörg Ehtreiber, director of FRida & freD, is delighted that the successful exhibition will not close at the end of the festival, but will be open to school classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays and to families on Sundays - free of charge for the time being until the summer.

Everyone agrees that a playful approach to reading is immensely important. City Councillor for Culture Günter Riegler says: "I see literature as an opportunity to immerse ourselves in realities that we would otherwise not have access to."