The Kaleidoscope of Culture in Novi Sad brings another weekend rich in events for all ages, while this time, we are going to talk about a unique book town. On 17 and 18 September, Booktown at the SPENS brings the most famous figures of literature, as well as theatre plays, children’s operas and staged readings, musical performances, literature discussions and a book fair, which make the event unique in our country and wider.
The concept of a staged reading, which attracted both children and adults, and what we can confirm from personal experience of the first Vrdnik Festival ‘Vila’, when we had a chance to hear the celebrated regional actresses and a famous TV host, Anica Dobra, Nataša Tapušković and Nataša Miljković, in a completely unusual atmosphere and in a different light. Following the example, during the Booktown at the SPENS-u event, which takes place in the SPENS, we will have a chance to enjoy the undiscovered works of Voja Brajović and Zijah Sokolović, who will read fairy tales to the youngest and most demanding audience, on a stage for children’s programme of the SPENS-u in
On Saturday 17 September from 5 p.m., legendary Tihi from the TV series ‘Otpisani’ (Eng. The Written Offs) is going to read poetic works of Mika Antić, Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, Duško Radović, Brana Crnčević and other poets who often spoke about topics for adults through children’s verses. Within a one-hour event, Vojislav Voja Brajović, the doyen of theatre in Serbia, will surely thrill children and their parents. The programme is adapted for children aged 3-12 years.
On the second day of the SPENS event, on Sunday, 18 September, at 6 p.m., one of the favourite regional actors, Zijah Sokolović, will read fairy tales by the famous author Selma Parisi to children. With a career spanning over fifty years, Sokolović marked the Yugoslav theatrical life and cinematography and that was the reason for selecting the works of one of the multi-talented Croatian artists who herself works in the field of theatre studies, drama-based pedagogy, drama and literature texts and screenplays for all ages.
Selma’s fairy tales have been awarded multiple times, while Zijah will read the four selected fairy tales – An Imaginary Violin, A Lonely Guitar (included in the Croatian language class as part of the ‘Škola na Trećem’ on the Croatian Radiotelevision channel), A Girl Who Hugged Clouds and The Last Tree, a fairy tale that was included in the anthology of original contemporary fairy tale at the international festival ‘BAJKA 2021’ in North Macedonia last year.
Although they’ve starred in uncountable films and plays, we haven’t seen them in a role such as this one in the Suburbium. Furthermore, Leontina and the choir ‘Čarolija’, and the well-known children’s opera of the ‘Visoko C’ Association will also keep the children entertained.
For elderly literature fans, the Suburbium will be the epicentre of events since we will have a chance to hear Vedrana Rudan, Vladimir Pištalo, Slavimir Stojanović Futro, and the famous humourists from Montenegro ‘The Books of Knjige’, while we will also have a chance to hear about the life and work of the famous Novi Sad author László Végel, whose book ‘Neoplanta or the Promised Land’ is translated into German, and will be promoted during the discussion between Végel and Vladislava Gordić Petković.
Furthermore, we can expect the farewell concert by Zoran Predin and the band Lačni Franz, the play ‘Što na podu spavaš’, based on Darko Cvijetić’s novel of the same name, and other programmes.
Partners of the Kaleidoscope of Culture 2022 are Erste Bank, IDEA, DDOR, A1 Srbija and Heineken Srbija.
Author: Leona Pap
Photo: Jelena Ivanović, Promo/ECoC
