The international book festival would be a chance to showcase Lithuanian literature to the rest of the world.
VILNIUS — The Lithuanian Publishers Association reconfirmed its decision Monday not to support the government in its bid to hold the World Book Capital 2012 in Vilnius saying it would be untimely.
The decision not to participate in the application to UNESCO is an act of desperation, a publisher said.
“How do you behave when you are trapped in a corner and what whatever you say falls on deaf ears? You do not as you are asked to do in the hope that you are heard,” general director of Baltos Lankos publishing Saulius Žukas told Lietuvos Rytas.
Publishers have taken a hit over the last 12 months with value added taxes on books jumping from 9 to 21 percent, raising the sale price on literature across the board.
Expensive projects such as Vilnius Capital of Culture 2009, which was in many ways a disaster, cost the country millions of litai and publishers say that if the book event came to Lithuania, it would be nothing but a “facade.”
“Publishers believe that the government should spend tax revenues to support cultural programs, library funds and textbook publishing, and translation support programs for Lithuanian authors’ books … but not for some new facade event,” the association said.
Do it right
Publishers hope that after some time, the country could well and truly deserve to be called Book Capital of the world.
“Book publishers are refusing to take part in organizing this project, and hope that in the next five years Lithuania will change its attitude towards authors and books so that the situation of the publishing sector will be stable. Only then Vilnius will truly deserve the title of World Book Capital,” the association stated.
The taxes, which were hiked in a revenue gaining frenzy at the start of 2009, have stifled the sale of local artists, which has hurt Lithuanian book sales.
Culture minister Remigijus Vilkaitis told journalists that Vilnius could be a “capital of all trades” following last year’s event.
