Open Book Festival

The Open Book Festival is an annual literary festival held in Cape Town, South Africa with a focus on South African literature in an international context. The event includes over 150 literary events,[1] featuring over 100 authors over 5 days. Although South African literature features prominently literature from across the world is also featured with both Anglophone and Francophone authors featuring prominently in the festivals events.[2][3]

For the Open Book Festival in Bridport, England, see Bridport Arts Centre.
Open Book Festival
StatusActive
GenreMulti-genre
VenueFugard Theatre
Location(s)Cape Town
CountrySouth Africa
Inaugurated2011
Attendance20,000
Websitehttp://openbookfestival.co.za

Main venue of the event is located at the Fugard Theatre but also includes other nearby venues in Cape Town such as The District 6 Museum, The Homecoming Centre, the Townhouse Hotel, The Slave Lodge, The Museum, The National Gallery, Central Library and Lobby Books.[4]

History

The first Open Book festival was held in 2011. The event was initiated by Mervyn Sloman of The Book Lounge (a Cape Town-based bookshop) and Ben Williams of Books Live (a literary focused subsidiary of the South African newspaper Times Live).[5]

Focuses of interest

The festival was founded to bring the best literature in the world to Cape Town; to promote South African writing on an internationally; and to make books and literature more accessible to young readers.[5] The event is noted for being more representative and drawing a wider range of authors than other South African book festivals.[6]

Most of the 150 events fall into one of the following sub-events with particular focuses:[7]

  • Poetica: a two-day-long programme of events focused on poetry.
  • Comic Book Fest: focus on comic books and graphic novels.
  • Authors: number of panel discussions, workshops, presentations, and other events focused on authors.
  • Youth Programme: a number of events that focuses on encouraging a love for books amongst young people.

Notable events

References
  1. "Open Book Cape Town Literary Festival". Smart Cape. 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  2. "Open Book literary festival in Cape Town to host a special edition of "Étonnants Voyageurs"". Institut Français. 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  3. "Great Texts and Open Book Festival collaborate in a unique presentation". GIPCA: University of Cape Town. 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  4. "Event: Open Book Cape Town Literary Festival". News24. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  5. "Make the Best Comment and Choose a Book! Make the Best Comment and Choose a Book! Open Book Cape Town, a New Festival for South Africa, Announced at The Book Lounge". Books Live. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  6. Davis, Rebecca (11 September 2013). "Open Book Festival: Better and Better". Mail and Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  7. "Cape Town Magazine: Open Book Festival". Cape Town Magazine. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  8. "Open Book Festival 2014". Cape Town Travel. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
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