It's that time of year again: the Bologna Children's Book Fair is starting in a few short days! But right now, I'm 6152 miles away from it — and that's something that would normally give me a bad case of the Bologna Blues.
So if you do find yourself in Bologna (lucky you!), the SCBWI stand is at A/66 in Pavilion 26... that's the area that usually has a majority of English-language publishers present. Stop by and say hello!
PS. When I went to Bologna a few years ago, I wrote about it here and here. PPS. Anna Castagnoli has posted thishandy guide of Bologna's museums, bookshops, various events, plus places to eat and drink. Lots of good suggestions, check it out -- grazie, Anna! PPPS. Laura's got some advice
Just a quick reminder that Sàrmede's "Immagini della fantasia" exhibit will now be on display in Brussels. At the European Parliament! The opening takes place tonight at 18:00, at the ASP area on the third floor (balcony side). Definitely worth a peek, if you're in the neighbourhood... I wish I could be there too! (more details, here).
And if you still need something more to do— well, you could always drop in to Montreuil: the Salon du Livre Jeunesse begins tomorrow morning, 9:00 sharp!
Have fun!!
PS. The beautiful poster/invitation for Immagini della fantasia is by Octavia Monaco
In this installment of my ludicrously unpunctual series of posts on Bologna, I want to share a few discoveries I made while there. Once you tear yourself away from your appointments, the exhibitions and other activities, your explorations will be amply rewarded!
Next up: from the book stand of EKEBI (the National Book Centre of Greece), I stumbled upon the work of Effie Lada:
She is one of the nominees for the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award (aka the "IBBY"). Quite an honour — these are like the Nobel Prize for children's books!
For one reason or another (friends, rendez-vous, etc), I found myself spending a good bit of time in the German publishing area. And there I found quite a few artists whose work was unfamiliar to me, including —
ManuelaOlten, and her charming hippopotamus Nefertiti (seen here rummaging for her lost cup):
There was much much more — far too many to name! I will just mention in passing that the Spanish publishers had much that was intriguing— from (just to name a few): Edelvives, Zorro Rojo, OQO and Kalandraka....
Great work... and enough inspiration to be getting on with!
So anyways, I went to the Bologna Children's Book Fair last month. It was my first time—I don't know what took me so long! I came away goggle-eyed, my head bulging with new information, images and encounters (... and my valise bulging with books, catalogues, cards, all to be perused in leisure). Here is a little impression of my time there.
First, an overview of the fair itself: established in 1963, the Bologna Book Fair is the largest and longest-running event of its kind. The Salon du Livre at Montreuil was started 20 years later, and is focussed on only French language children's publications; as a result, it is much smaller. Bologna, on the other hand, is international in scope: 1300 exhibitors (compared to Montreuil's 350)—publishers, literary and illustration organizations, agents and others—come from 67 countries, and display their wares in 20,000 square metres of space. Unlike Montreuil, it is not open to the public but only to professionals. That means: no roaring kids on school trips, no books for sale, no story-telling workshops, no autographs. None. Of. That.
But what does that even mean— "1300 exhibitors in 20,000 square metres"?
Each of those green rectangles is like an airplane hangar — an airplane hangar containing a football field! You spend the entire day galloping from one end of the fair to the other (note to self: flat shoes!)—late to appointments, or lost, or trying to take in as much as you can in four short days. This brief video (by author Bart Moeyaert, via the Astrid Lindgren blog) gives an idea of the breathless pace of the fair:
Is Bologna a good place to do business, for an illustrator? Opinion is divided on this question. On the one hand, it is true that the main activity is between publishers, who are there to buy and sell rights to previously published books. They are focussed on trading, not necessarily there for creative people; at times the art directors are not even present. Or are too overwhelmed and inattentive to be any good to you.
On the other hand, appointments can always be made --best if arranged in advance, but last-minute rendez-vous are also possible. And certain publishers (especially the well-organized Germans!) set aside a few hours each day to look at portfolios, and a long queue of hopeful illustrators forms immediately! And lastly, two of myfriends actually got book projects while at Bologna (félicitations, les filles!) So there!!
Then there's always the Illustrator's Wall:
Here you can put up your postcard, business card, poster or other illustration promo pieces. (Note to self: a stapler or double-sided tape would have been good...). Does it help? Does tossing a coin in the Trevi fountain help? In any event it's fun to look at everyone else's imagery...
Of course, the main thing that will catch your eye is books—
(Here are some from the wonderful Spanish publisher, Zorro Rojo—I found wonderful books at their stand including these by Javier Zabala and Antonio Santos.)
—there are so many of them, you will be the proverbial kid in the proverbial candy shop! The anticipation and excitement will soon be superseded by a sense of adventure as you start to make discoveries. It's overwhelming at first—it takes a little time to be able to focus on one book at a time, in the beginning you just want to get the lay of the land and your attention span is greatly reduced. But you'll get the hang of it!
It can all be a bit tiring, of course. Luckily, there's the Illustrator's Café where you can sit and rest your barking dogs. It is a lounge of sorts, a meeting place — and also the venue for the many events (talks by illustrators/authors, panel discussions, live interviews, and especially awards ceremonies) that take place at the book fair. And of course it is adjacent to the various exhibition spaces: the solo shows, the Guest of Honour country's display, and the (main) Illustrator's Exhibition.
But more on all of that in another post. Suffice it to say that I have come back with a lot of inspiration and new insights and energy. I'll be back, Bologna!
(A still image from "O'Moro", by Eva Offredo and Christophe Calissoni)
In this most recent Salon, a few new features were introduced. These innovations included the Librairie EUropa (featuring books, authors and illustrators from further afield in the European Union... Eastern Europe's contributions were especially wonderful!) and the AniMix.
The AniMix was a film festival within the Salon — a first in its 26-year history! Around 35 films were screened: all animated, there were shorts, pilots and feature-length previews. They all had in common some connection to children's books — either adaptations based on an existing children's book, or originals created by the illustrators themselves. These included: Kitty Crowther("Le Banc"), Anne Herbauts ("Jean perdu dans ses pensées"), Albertine("La génie de la boîte de raviolis"), Samuel Ribeyron("Beau Voyage"), Eva Offredo("O'Moro"), Jean-François Martin("L'Inventeur") andMichèle Lemieux ("Nuit d'Orage").
For me, a few of the memorable and enjoyable films were these:
"O'Moro", by Eva Offredo and Christophe Calissoni
"Beau Voyage", by Samuel Ribeyron
"La Génie de la boîte de raviolis", by Albertine.
"Nuit d'Orage" (also known as Stormy Night), by Michèle Lemieux. Superlative!
For the full list of films screened at the Salon, see here.
To view some of the films mentioned, here are links to video clips:
With so many fantastic and inventive books on display at the Salon, it was hard to choose just a few to show you. Here are some books — and the illustrators who created them— that stand out in my memory. It was great to have a chance to meet and chat and peruse!!
Joanna Concejo's work is beautiful, with images in graphite and gouache that are poetic, delicate and startling. She has illustrated books for many publishing houses all over Europe, such as Topipittori (Italy), Editions Notari (Switzerland), OQO (Spain), Rouergue (France). I discovered her work a few years ago when I got Grand et Petit (published by Atelier du Poisson Soluble, 2008) — a book about two brothers, one tiny and the other gigantic, which is a great favourite of mine.
Her latest book is Les Cygnes Sauvages (aka The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen)— published in Italian by Topipittori and in French by Notari....
...looks intriguing!
Next up is Clotilde Perrin, whose work I have long admired....
Educated at Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg, Clotilde Perrin works in a variety of mediums: color pencil, watercolour, gouache and even cut paper —check out the wonderful Patron et Employee (from Didier Jeunesse, 2009).
In addition to illustrating children's books and magazines (for Albin Michel, Tourbillon and Bayard, among others), Bridget teaches at Parsons Paris Art School and is very active in SCBWI.
As for Hervé, his lively and interactive books (like Turlututu and Moi c'est Blop) many of which have been translated to English and released in the USA— got a lot of acclaim at the Bologna Book Fair in recent years.
Of course this looooooooooooooong blog post doesn't begin to scratch the surface.... these are only a few of the illustrators I managed to talk with. If you are interested in seeing some of the Salon's prize-winners, check their site!
Here, as promised—and only two months late!— is a whirlwind tour of the Salon du Livre at Montreuil, which I attended back in early December.
Entrance: this image, which could be seen all over Paris in the run-up to the Salon, is by the lovely Charlotte Gastaut.
Here is an overview of the Salon, looking uncharacteristically calm and sedate.
In reality, it is wall-to-wall people, including eleventy million roaring children, on school trips or family outings, or just hoping to meet their favourite author. In this aspect, the salon at Montreuil differs from the one at Bologna, which (I'm told) is open only to professionals.
Founded 26 years ago, the Salon has grown in both size and reputation.
This time, there were about 350 maisons d'éditions present. These publishing houses (large and small) are mainly French (or from francophone countries) — and spread out on three floors.
As well as selling books, their stands also serve as meeting points for writers, illustrators, editors, art directors and publishers. Some of them are mini-gallery spaces, featuring originals, prints and posters from their illustrators, like the one above from the wonderful publishing house Rue du Monde. And—not least— there are signings and reading, where the authors and artists meet their adoring public face to face! But more on that in a future post...
If you're an illustrator, you're most likely at the salon to show your work.
There is the infamous Rencontres D.A. (above, left) which can be a bit of a mêlée: 20-25 art directors (in a small space) do their best to see as many hopeful artists as they can at something like 20-minute intervals. This must be arranged (in writing) long in advance. The alternative is to take your chances and find an art director at the stand (above, right) who will sit down briefly to look at your portfolio and chat with you.
Of course there is more to the salon at Montreuil than publishers' stands.
From art exhibits to workshops and signings, and even a film festival, there's always something to catch your eye and engage your mind—but more on all that in a future post(s)! All in all, the whole experience is inspiring, exhilarating...and exhausting. When you come home with the huge pile of catalogues that you will have gathered, you can both prolong the experience and rest your feet!
