The State of Israel was the guest of honor at Moscow's most important book fair – the 2019 Non/Fiction Book Fair, an international book fair for high-quality fiction and non-fiction.
The Israeli pavilion, sponsored by the Israeli Embassy, presented a rich literary program for the Russian audience that included Israeli classics alongside contemporary literature, Israeli illustration, literary cinema and an impressive Israeli delegation that included David Grossman, Orly Castel-Bloom, Eshkol Nevo, Yoav Blum, Ofer Vardi, Prof. Merav Salomon of Bezalel, Prof. Dan Laor who has published three works on the life and writings of S.Y.Agnon, and Nadav Tamir who presented the autobiography of Shimon Peres. The motto of the Israeli pavilion – "There is no place for small dreams" was taken from Tamir's book.
Book launches and meetings with authors were held, along with special lectures, the launch of a retrospective exhibition of children's book illustration curated by Liora Grossman, master classes for children from the books of Roni Oren, a complementary cinematic program with "Etgar Keret: Based on a True Story" and "Three Days and a Child" based on the book by A.B. Yehoshua.
Dorit Golender-Drucker, former Israeli ambassador to Russia, presented her book "The House Secrets of the Embassy Kitchen," and shared original recipes from her collection. Ofer Vardi, founder of LunchBox Press, presented his version of the history of Israeli cuisine. The Embassy provided access to Israeli food with a special pavilion that offered hummus, the cuisine of Jerusalem and black coffee.
A particularly touching event that brought together many literary lovers was the evening in memory of writer Amos Oz, winner of the prestigious "Yasnaya Polyana" Literary Award in Russia, in which the collection of Oz's works was presented in eight volumes. David Grossman, Eshkol Nevo and the interpreter Victor Radutsky shared their personal experiences of the great writer.
On the last day of the fair, a reception was held in which senior representatives from the literary world of Israel and Russia participated, including writers, publishers, interpreters, literary critics and journalists, and representatives of the Jewish community.
Yana Kotlyar-Gal, Cultural and Science Advisor at the Israeli Embassy in Moscow, said: "Israeli literature is one of the best cultural ambassadors we have. It is the beautiful and interesting face of Israel, and it is the best way to expose the deepest layers of Israel to Russian readers. We have been supporting the translation of Israeli works that connect with the general public with classics by Amos Oz, David Grossman and S.Y. Agnon, alongside a growing interest in young writers such as Yoav Blum and Eshkol Nevo. It is a great privilege to be honored at the largest and most prestigious book fair in Russia, to fly the Israeli flag a meter from the Red Square, and to celebrate the joy of reading together."
