Palma book fair opens tomorrow facing internet competition

Palma is getting ready for its annual book fair which opens on the Borne tomorrow. This year, the event which runs until June 9, will be celebrating its 20th anniversary and a total of 50'000 different books will be featured at the fair. 30 exhibitors are taking part in the event, including book shops, publishers and distributers. Work has been going on all week along the Borne with all of the exhibition tents being erected and the fair will open its doors to the general public at 10am every day. As has become the norm over recent years, the emphasis will be on Balearics writers, books in Catalan and about the islands, including the region's history, culture and gastronomy. During the event, there will be a series of workshops and lectures as well as the presentation of the prestigious City of Palma Award for Literature which last year was won by the Majorcan writer Sebastiá Alzamora for his book “Sara i Jeremies.” There are a number of novelties this year, a stage has been erected and a number of local musicians and children's performers will perform throughout the week. The event has however been marred by the decision by four leading local publishers to boycott the fair over problems with the organisers. Yesterday, all the parties involved in the dispute were trying to play the issue down, one said it is not taking part for ”economic reasons,” while another said that it is focusing its attention on internet sales, instead of attending book fairs.