Booming Book Fair Disguises Reading's Death in Romania

More than 50,000 Romanians are expected to visit the Gaudeamus book fair in the capital, Bucharest, from 18 to 22 November, figures which suggest that reading is alive and well in the country.

"Such an event is a cultural celebration. Here everyone can find quality books at low prices and people come in large numbers," Cristian Vlad, a history teacher, said. 

At the fair, visitors can browse the books, magazines and other publications of more than 100 exhibitors from Romania and abroad. They also attend dozens of workshops, poetry readings, musical performances and other activities.

But while big book fairs continue to flourish, industry specialists are pessimistic about the future of reading in Romania as a whole.

"The number of people reading literature is constantly falling. Most people now devour junk magazines to get the scandal and gossip, nothing more," lamented a literary editor who did not want to be named.

A recent study carried out by the research center CURS showed that as many as 52 per cent of Romanians do not read books at all. Another 28 per cent read only "from time to time" while only 5 per cent read "for at least an hour a day".

During the Communist era, Romania invested heavily in literacy campaigns and books were available in large numbers at cheap prices. Over the past 20 years, however, the situation changed radically, with television and Internet superseding reading as most people's daily habit.

"The culture of reading books is dwindling. Now, among people who read, there are two main reason to do so: to get information or find a way to escape current reality", literary critic Dan Mihailescu told a daily newspaper recently.