PAJU, GYEONGGI PROVINCE—The '2025 Paju Fair Book & Culture,' a unique integrated cultural arts festival, is set to open its doors from October 24 to 26 around the Paju Book City area. Entering its second year, the event aims to be a comprehensive cultural fair for citizens and a global content marketplace, blurring the lines between literature and various art forms.
The festival promises a star-studded lineup of artists who will stage "The Moment a Book Comes Alive." Participants include Kim Chang-wan, who is active as a singer, writer, and painter; musical theatre stars Choi Jung-won, Hong Ji-min, and Lee Kun-myung; and actors Lee Won-jong, Lee Yoon-ji, and Yang So-min.
The opening day, October 24, will feature the grand opening performance, 'BOOKS ALIVE! - A Musical Concert with Stories.' This gala show will reinterpret famous lines and narratives from books into musical numbers. The program includes a medley of beloved classics based on literary masterpieces, such as 'The Impossible Dream' from Man of La Mancha (based on Cervantes' Don Quixote), 'I Can’t Recall' from A Tale of Two Cities (based on Charles Dickens' novel), and 'Memory' from Cats (based on T. S. Eliot’s poetry collection).
On October 26, the renowned polymath Kim Chang-wan will host a special event titled ‘Park Concert with Books and Music – Writer Kim Chang-wan Exhibition.’ In this talk concert, Kim, accompanied by the Kim Chang-wan Band, will share honest life stories and his world of imagination, interweaving various content experiences with songs.
The festival also caters to families, with a family musical scheduled for October 25, based on Baek Hee-na's popular picture book, Alsatang (Sweet Candy). An animated adaptation of the original work has previously gained global attention, including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
A significant highlight will be the recitation performances, where actors and voice actors will bring book passages to life. Actor Lee Won-jong will offer warm solace against life’s loneliness with 'A Lonely Farmer's Letter,' while Lee Yoon-ji will express the concerns of literature and youth with restrained emotion in her reading of 're, Shelley.' Yang So-min is set to explore the inner anxieties of humans in 'Carrying the Lamp on Your Back.'
Furthermore, the Buksori Book Talk program will gather prominent figures to discuss the future of reading and creation in the digital age. Speakers include BookTuber Gyeoul Seojeom, Curator Kim Yong-joo from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Park Tae-woong, Chairman of the Nox Forum, and Cine21 reporter Lee Da-hye.
Song Seung-hwan, the general director of the festival, emphasized the event's vision: "When the language of books meets performing arts, it fosters empathy that transcends borders and generations." He added, "We hope this will be a stage where generations distanced from books can rediscover them, enjoy book-based performances, and where content creation for global expansion can be fostered." The '2025 Paju Fair Book & Culture' is poised to be an unmissable convergence of literature and the performing arts.
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