Irina Adelina Găinușă is an English teacher and student at MA degree in English Linguistics at the University of Bucharest. She participated as a volunteer in four editions of the Bookfest International Book Fair in Bucharest, as well as in other cultural events of the capital. She writes and translates poems, she likes people and words. Irina is a core member of the Book Industry team, translating many of the interviews published here into English. And for this effort we are very grateful to her.
What is the last book that took your breath away?
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. I know it was also published in Romanian by Bookzone publishing house, but I red it in English. The book was recommended to me by a friend, I really liked the front cover, so I ended up buying it. It's written in a beautiful, thoughtful English, and I think that's why it manages to convey so many meaningful messages about what it means to live on this planet as a human. Although I didn't highlight on it too much, because I really wanted to enjoy reading it and temper that part of me that wants to analyze everything, the book stayed with me because of the story and maybe because I fell in love a little with the main character, Maali, but also with all the people close to him, from this lifetime and from the next.
Far from being a perfect man and not always good, it seemed to me that Maali had a very developed sense of justice, and I kept thinking that thanks to people like Maali, things can change in a reality where everything works out the worst. In addition, his story showed me once again how important it is to have the support and acceptance of the people you love, because these people and their support make life worth living (Maali was part of a sexual minority, although he considered himself a handsome man who loves other handsome men and that's it). If I were to read it again (which I certainly will, it just takes some time), I think I would be more invested in the political situation of Sri Lanka. The historical background helps you get used to the atmosphere of the book more quickly. It can be done without it, it wasn't too difficult for me, because it was presented and explained as efficiently and simply as possible. I would recommend this book to everyone I know, because it has so much potential, it can open your mind and soul, and it somehow manages to capture essential things about life (and death).
You participated in four editions of the Bookfest book fair as a volunteer. What does this implication mean?
The volunteering activity includes promoting the event before it takes place, by distributing leaflets, and the actual activity within the event. If it comes to handing out leaflets, I usually stood at the busiest subway entrances and offered leaflets to anyone who wanted to take them. I enjoyed this activity a lot, because every time I finished another round of leaflets I thought how interesting people are, considering that I received all kinds of reactions from them; some thought we were asking them for money and others looked at us angrily, but there were also people who smiled at us, took the leaflet and moved on.
As for the activity within the event, the Bookfest volunteers stand at the information points and help people who come to them with all kinds of questions. We give them maps, brochures with the program or with the exhibitors, we look for certain events on the Internet for them, if they can't figure it out, we tell them where the publishing houses are, we help them find their way around the exhibition hall. We do all kinds of things to help the event run as smoothly as possible. What I liked most was that I was walking around a lot, talking to a lot of people and making sure they didn't get lost at Bookfest, but also to come back the following year.
How did you find out about this opportunity?
I remember (quite vaguely though) seeing an ad about recruiting volunteers for Bookfest, on Facebook most likely. I signed up there or talked to the person who was in charge of the program, and that's how I got to Bookfest for the first time as a volunteer in the ninth grade. Since then, I have made sure to contact them (almost) every year and ask if they are still looking for volunteers and I always had a very good collaboration with the people there.
Was there an interview for this position and what did it consist of?
I don't remember being an interview at all. They briefed us and kind of told us what we were going to do and that was it. Basically, you have to like talking to people and know how to read the map of the pavilion. J
Is there some sort of training for the Bookfest volunteers, who teaches you what to do?
Yes, the people behind Bookfest call us a few days before for a training. There, they show us the pavilion, we see the big publishing houses and they tell us what we should do, but also who to ask for help if we can't handle something and other things like that. Oh, and they also teach us how to use the radio stations, so that we can communicate more easily both with each other as volunteers and to talk to the organizers (it's more efficient than running a whole pavilion to them, especially when you need information very quickly). Then we get the t-shirts and get ready for a few full days.
Is there a "best part" and "scariest part" of volunteering at Bookfest? Which are these?
I think the best part for me is related to the atmosphere and the people. Every year I meet new people (you couldn't spend a whole shift at the info point without talking to fellow volunteers or people who come to ask you something), and I really liked that. I might not have had the opportunity to meet some of them otherwise. And I always find the atmosphere at Bookfest friendly and relaxed (although I know it's not relaxing at all if you're behind the scenes of organizing the event); that's what I associate volunteering there with. Everyone understands us and we all try to do our part well.
As for the scariest part, I think the most uncomfortable thing for me at first was handing out leaflets, because I felt weird standing there and handing out leaflets to people, especially as some of them were quite scowling, they didn't have any desire for such a thing. But I think this experience also helped me, in a way. I finally realized that nothing is that serious, you just do your job and go home. How people react is none of your business.
Do you have a list of the strangest questions or curiosities that you have been asked at any of the editions of the fair so far?
I don't remember anything in particular. I've talked to a lot of people and I think I've erased some things from my memory. It was a bit weird every time people came to ask us about publishers or events that didn't exist (it was weird because sometimes they got mad) or when they came back to argue with us because a certain publisher wasn't there or because we ran out of maps and brochures.
Do you have any memories from your four years volunteering at Bookfest worth sharing?
My memories are a bit mixed up, but I know that a lady asked me to call 112, because she was bothered by the cameras in the pavilion, she said they were aimed at her and were hurting her, somehow (with the lasers, as if?). We had no cameras in the pavilion. :) J
What did you think of the 2022 edition of the fair, the last one you participated in as a volunteer, after years of not being held, compared to the previous editions?
It felt like a throwback to the "life before," when going to Bookfest wasn't out of the ordinary, as it had become an annual tradition. However, I remember well that it was the most exhausting edition I participated in, that extremely many people came and that initially we had no maps to give them. I think everyone was a little out of sorts that year, and I also think that the return to normal (or rather the effort to create a new normality) was quite difficult for the Bookfest organizers as well. If I'm not mistaken, there was quite a lot of talk that year about how strong and negative the impact of the pandemic was on the book market. So Bookfest 2022 was a reason for joy and compared to the other editions I would say that it has grown even more in popularity.
What I really liked about the 2022 edition was the fact that there was "Bookfest Cinema" (which, as I recall, was also at the 2019 edition, but I didn't see it again at the 2023 edition), where Romanian short films were broadcast (which I saw at least five times in a row), but also films from the country invited that year (in 2022 the special guest was Japan), and where I held most of the activity as a volunteer that year. There was something for everyone: children's films, mini-documentaries, more serious films, and I liked that I was able to look at them carefully. Although it was quite difficult for people to get to the cinema (which was at the back of everything, in the pavilion), they were excited to see the films and many stayed to watch until the end, and for the feature films in Japan the theater was a bit more crowded than usual, a sign that such a space deserved its place in the fair.
What are the advantages of participating in the fair as a volunteer?
I would say that the environment itself is one of the biggest advantages, because it is an opportunity to participate in an event full of valuable people, from Bookfest organizers, to guest authors, to representatives of publishing houses, to translators and editors, etc. You see these people "up close", you can approach them, talk to them, learn new things, ask them questions. You have the opportunity to make connections and learn how to handle all kinds of situations.
In addition, you also get to know the backstage of a book fair (and see that behind such a pleasant experience for the visitors of the fair lies a lot of work and quite a lot of stress) and I suppose that if the field of cultural events interests you and you want to be a part of it someday, then it's really worth going to volunteer at Bookfest and learn something from your own experience, but also from the experience of others.
You also participated as a volunteer in the 14th edition of the German Film Days. What was this experience like and how does it differ, from your point of view of involvement, between a film festival and a book fair?
I think the biggest difference has to do with the level of engagement itself. At the German Film Days I had to stand at the entrance of the cinema and scan tickets or guide people, but it was anyway a lower level of involvement on my part, maybe also because the tasks were divided differently (certain people were needed to do certain things, everyone had to do their part, you had no way or why to do someone else's job). Bookfest was a bit more dynamic in experience. You still needed to run, go to the organizers, solve something unforeseen, find out things. The experience at the German Film Days was a bit more predictable from that point of view, but I really enjoyed it there too, because it was something new. On this occasion, I learned more about the German cultural space, I heard opinions from people who work in this sphere. I believe that any new experience makes your world bigger, so it's important to do as many things as possible when an opportunity arises.
What are your expectations, what do you have in motion for the foreseeable future?
I finished college, and I am currently a student at the Master's Degree in English Linguistics at the University of Bucharest. Last year at this time I didn't think I would be where I am today. I'd like to somehow manage to break into the realm of literary translation, because there are few things that bring me as much joy as the process of translating a text, but I think I'll wait a while to tackle this, for the simple fact that I don't think I will have time for my master's degree, for translations, and for teaching (not as I would like, in any case). So at the moment I'm trying to get used to my new (official and absolutely terrifying) role as an English teacher (another thing that makes me glad to be alive) and I'm very excited for what's to come. I want to do my job as well and harmoniously as possible, I want to have a good collaboration with my future students, and I am quite nervous on how they will perceive me (that is, I really want them to like me).
Most of all I want to always stay close to words and people. :) J
[The photos are part of Irina Gănuișă’s archive; the cover photo is made by Maria Roxana Sibiceanu.] [Translated into English by Edward Vasile.]
