Among the main draws at the five-day gathering will
be virtual reality experiences, with several exhibitors unveiling projects that plunge visitors into a world that until then only existed on the page.
Taiwanese artist Jimmy Liao's picture book, "All of My World Is You", will come to life once visitors slip on a VR headset that will allow them to interact with the main character, a mysterious young girl, and complete challenges to make her smile.
In the spotlight as guest of honour is the literary culture and language of Flanders and the Netherlands, who have created three separate VR experiences, including one allowing users to alternate between the perspectives of a father and his nine-year-old daughter who are mourning the loss of a family member.
"Literature exists not just on the page," said Suzanne Meeuwissen of the Dutch Foundation for Literature, a co-initiator of the projects, pointing to recent Nobel Literature Prize winner Bob Dylan as an example.
Virtual reality is a brand new canvas, she said, and "writers and artists are hungry to explore this unfamiliar territory".
