Odessa may not exactly leap to mind as a hotbed for book lovers – it is perhaps better known globally for its "mail-order bride" industry. And although it lacks the literary pedigree of St Petersburg, Edinburgh, Paris or Tangier, it has a storied past as a stopping point for Europe-trotting writers and intellectuals.

Welcome to the 2017 Hong Kong Book Fair, the biggest annual event of the industry, at the Convention Centre in Wan Chai. [...] In its 28th year, the event has attracted 670 exhibitors from 37 countries, with dozens of presentations and seminars involving speakers.

The Fair will hold numerous activities in secondary venues in the Vedado district of the city such as the Dulce María Loynaz Center, the Casa del Alba Cultural and the Cuban Association of the United Nations. The Cuba Pavilion, the headquarters of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba and the University of Havana will also offer opportunities for cultural exchange and enrichment.

Canada will be responsible for designing and building a pavilion that will feature our country's rich talent and cultural diversity. The pavilion, which will occupy the Fair's main stage, will be filled with various Canadian cultural exhibitions; it will also offer programming such as author readings, dance, film and music that will promote Canadian artists and cultural entrepreneurs on the international scene.

The 22nd Seoul International Book Fair, which will take place under the theme of "Communicate with Books, Design the Future," will be attended by 346 publishers from 20 countries. "Digital Book Fair Korea" will also be held alongside the main event. [...] This year, French and Italian books will be under the spotlight as the countries have been designated the "Culture Focus" and "Spotlight Country," respectively.

The 2016 Taipei International Book Exhibition will feature Hungary as its theme country, introducing the country's literature, illustrations, photography and cinema to Taiwanese readers, the Taipei Book Fair Foundation announced Wednesday.
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The 28th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) opened on Tuesday at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla with the motto “Reading, Dialogue with the World”. President Hassan Rouhani and a number of Iranian and foreign officials attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition, which is one of Iran’s major cultural events.