The 20th edition of the Outono Vivo festival runs from October 24 to November 9, in Praia da Vitória, and once again brings one of the largest book fairs in Portugal, which in recent years has only been surpassed in sales by the book fairs in Lisbon and Porto.

“In recent years we have achieved this, and for us it is undoubtedly a source of pride. With the publishers we work with, we were able to make the final tally and realized that, right after the book fairs in Lisbon and Porto, we came in third place, which gives us immense satisfaction,” said Vânia Ferreira, mayor of Praia da Vitória, at a press conference yesterday.

One of the highlights of the festival is the book fair, organized this year in partnership with the publisher and bookstore Letras Lavadas, from the island of São Miguel.

There are expected to be “around 20,000 titles, from 80 to 100 publishers” and a total of “50 to 60,000 books.”

According to Vânia Ferreira, the festival, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is already a fixture in the cultural calendar of Terceira Island and the Azores and has an impact that justifies the municipality’s investment.

“The investment we are making is always in an attempt to attract something different, in terms of writers, and which in some way can become a point of reference for those who want to visit the Azores, for those who like books, appreciate literature, and enjoy a quality cultural moment,” she emphasized.

In 2024, the mayor highlighted the internationalization of the festival, which was attended by foreign writers.

This year, there was no such commitment, but Vânia Ferreira said she had “high expectations” for the success of the event.

“We cannot always focus on the same levels. We understand that in a diversified way we can do this annually and it is still a rich moment in the same way,” she pointed out.

The mayor said that the opening session will be attended by the Secretary of State for Culture, which she highlighted as a sign of “recognition that this is an event that has gained great importance.”

In addition to the book fair, the Outono Vivo festival presents a cultural program with book presentations, debates, exhibitions, musical performances, cinema, and wine tastings.

Among the writers present are João de Melo, Germano Almeida, Tânia Ganho, Rui Cardoso Martins, Vasco Pereira da Costa, Henrique Levy, João Garcia, Hugo van der Ding, Pedro Andersson, Maria Inês Almeida, Aníbal Pires, Paulo Noval, Pedro Ventura, Pedro Almeida e Maia, and Carlos Borba.

The program includes a round table discussion on the challenges of Cape Verdean literature, with the presence of Dina Salústio, the first Cape Verdean woman to write and publish a novel in the country.

There will also be a screening of the film-concert “Documentário Terceirense” (Terceira Documentary), featuring the first film made in Terceira, a silent movie accompanied by Arsénio Martins on piano and Paulo Cunha on double bass.

Other highlights include a literary tour about Vitorino Nemésio and the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the publication of the writer’s book Festa Redonda.

The book by the winner of the Vitorino Nemésio Literary Prize, launched by the Legislative Assembly of the Azores, will also be presented.

The festival celebrates the golden anniversary of João Melo’s literary life with the presentation of the books As Novas Fases da Lua (The New Phases of the Moon) and A Nuvem no Olhar (The Cloud in the Eye), with the writer in attendance.

It also pays tribute to the Terceira writer Álamo Oliveira, who died this year, with a conversation about his life and work.

The municipality’s investment in the festival’s cultural program is 50,000 euros, similar to previous editions, according to the mayor.

This is the first edition of the book fair organized in partnership with Letras Lavadas.

According to Vânia Ferreira, with the internalization of the Praia Cultural cooperative, the municipality had to open a public tender for the management of this space, which was unsuccessful.

“There were no interested parties among the island’s booksellers.

It forced us to do some research and figure out how to overcome this situation. Letras Lavadas showed its interest and availability. It is someone who already has a proven track record, with extensive knowledge, and is a well-known publisher. Still, also with dynamic, differentiated work on social media, which can help us give this festival a unique boost,” she said.

The bookstore manager, Ernesto Resendes, said that Letras Lavadas aims to “introduce new publishers, new authors, new regional books, and a lot of diversity for children and adults.”

“This festival, being the third largest in the country, has gained increasing notoriety and quality, with the goal of evolving year after year and improving various aspects,” he stressed.

One of the new features of this edition is the possibility of purchasing books from the fair, without having to go to the venue, via WhatsApp, with shipping to the national market at no additional cost.

In Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Note from Filamentos: Through our partner in the Azores, Letras Lavadas, our Bruma Publication books will be available at the Fair.