Taipei – For the first time, Italy will be the guest of honor at the 33rd edition of the Taipei International Book Exhibition, which will be held from February 4 to 9 at the Taipei World Trade Center. Following the themes evoked by the cultural program “…In High Fantasy”, inspired by Dante and Calvino, 11 contemporary Italian authors will open a window into Italian creativity and imagination while also showcasing a selection of our literary classics: Beatrice Alemagna, Mario Barenghi, Gianni Biondillo, Davide Calì, Eliana Liotta, Federica Manzon, Fabiano Massimi, Susanna Mattiangeli, Lorenzo Mattotti, Laura Imai Messina, and Luca Peyron. “Italy’s book industry continues its path of strengthening its presence in foreign markets, coming to Taipei as a guest of honor after the success of its participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair. This aims to consolidate growth in the Asian markets,” comments Innocenzo Cipolletta, president of the Italian Publishers Association. “Asia is the second-largest area after Europe for the sale of translation rights abroad by Italian publishers in 2023, accounting for 15% of the total, a significant increase from 10% in 2020. Chinese (both traditional and simplified) is the second most translated language after Spanish.” (9colonne)