IZKITAP welcomes book lovers of all ages.

The Izmir Book Fair continues to bring together valuable names from the worlds of literature and cinema with its visitors. Organized under the theme “Cinema and Literature,” IZKITAP will continue to welcome its visitors until November 3, while names such as Ercan Kesal, İnci Aral, İlker Başbuğ, Murat Menteş, Umut Sarıkaya, and Yılmaz Aslantürk will participate in interview and signing events over the weekend.

Hosted by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized in collaboration with İZFAŞ and TACT Fair Organization at Fair Izmir, IZKITAP – the 4th Izmir Book Fair has been welcoming book lovers since October 26. IZKITAP will also host thousands of Izmirians of all ages this weekend, including children, young people, students, and adults. On November 2 and 3, 136 authors will come together with book lovers for signing events, and 17 interviews will be held on various topics. Book lovers will have the opportunity to meet their favorite authors, get their books signed, chat, and participate in discussions to gain knowledge.

Children’s favorite Şermin Yaşar

IZKITAP brought together many valuable names with their readers during the week as well. Award-winning author Şermin Yaşar, who established Turkey’s first Word Museum, received great attention. Speaking in a completely full hall, Yaşar stated, “I love going to book fairs. I value meeting and talking with children. Fairs provide a beautiful opportunity for this. I have attended the book fairs held in Izmir in previous years as well. It was again a very crowded event. It is always very enjoyable for all of us.”

Sharing creative and developmental games she plays with her children through her social media accounts named “Anne Oyuncu” (Player Mom), Şermin Yaşar has established a network of friendships with mothers across the country and has become a favorite among children with her dozens of children’s books. During the signing event after her interview, she chatted extensively with children and took photos with them. Emphasizing the meaning and importance of the Republic, Yaşar provided information about the book “The First Morning of the Republic,” which she co-authored with Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı. Yaşar said, “Let’s not celebrate Republic Day just once a year. Let’s live every day with the same enthusiasm as if the Republic was declared anew.”

The pioneer of young authors, Demiriz met with her readers

Rana Demiriz, who took her first step into writing at the age of 14 with the book she penned, met with her readers at IZKITAP to sign her books. Demiriz expressed that the Izmir Book Fair is very important for her, stating, “I wrote my first book at the age of 14. At that time, I became Turkey’s youngest author. The youngest authors back then were between 22 and 23 years old. In this sense, I believe I have encouraged young people. I have felt very proud as I have seen younger authors emerge later. My goal was to pave the way for them. Subsequently, my writing career progressed, and my readership began to form. I wrote four books while attending high school. One feature of my books is that they are ageless; my target audience is ageless. This has been very prideful for me. I go to school events thinking I will meet the children, but I find that parents have come, and teachers are also requesting separate interviews for themselves. I have followers who are 65 years old, who have read my books after seeing me through their grandchildren.”