The song Come è profondo il mare written by Lucio Dalla, which Prof. Miroslav Bertoša particularly loved, marked the grand finale of the first book promotion at the 29th Book Fair(y) in Istria, dedicated to Bertoša's posthumously published memoirs Trošenje života: Gdje li je život što ga izgubih živeći? (Croatian University Press). In front of a large audience in the Red Salon, the magical book of a genius was illuminated with great respect, as described by the bard of Istrian culture Milan Rakovac in a video address. 

“It is a book whose essence is the basic ethics of life among people,” said Aljoša Pužar about  Trošenje života, the work of the great historian of Istria, a par excellence intellectual, to whom the 29th Book Fair(y) is dedicated. Bertoša's “bookcity”, with more than 50,000 books, the scientific and literary sentences of a man who always read with a pencil in his hand, the intellectually stimulating atmosphere surrounding the creation of the Istrian Encyclopedia for which Prof. Bertoša was responsible, and his recitations of Pushkin – these were just some of the highlights of the presentation the fair's audience will long remember. Great respect is due to the moderator Prof. Andrea Matošević and the book's presenters: Slaven Bertoša, the son of Miroslav Bertoša; Anita Šikić, head editor and director of the Croatian University Press; the lexicographer Vlaho Bogišić; and the culturologist Aljoša Pužar. 

Admirers of good literature had their moment on the first day of the 29th Book Fair at the premiere of Kristian Novak's novel Slučaj vlastite pogibelji (OceanMore).“Right after the first reading, it was clear it was a masterpiece. Although it addresses difficult themes, the architecture of this novel is such that no one is harmed. And yet, the text opens the neuralgic wounds of this society, including the biggest one: the hard wall of corruption among the police”, said the editor Kruno Lokotar. Kristian Novak, one of the most-read contemporary Croatian authors, was a guest at this year’s first Breakfast with the Author, hosted by the inspired Aljoša Pužar. Illuminating (since, as Prof. Bertoša once said, the surname Pužar has no connection to snails but rather to the torch used by shepherds to light their way when searching for sheep in the dusk) the literary, scientific, and worldview discourse of Kristian Novak, Aljoša Pužar prepared an intellectually rich Breakfast with the great author of clear and pure moral references. “In these times, one must be brave not only for oneself but also for the others,” said Kristian Novak, among other things, in response to the question about what we currently lack to become brave citizens. 

The seagulls of Pula and Manara’s beautiful woman with curly hair with his personal signature, will remain a cherished memory of maestro Manara's visit to the 29th Book Fair(y) in Istria. As one of the world's greatest comic artists and a guest of honor at the fair, Manara drew in front of the audience on the second day in the main hall of the House of Croatian Homeland War Veterans. A significant part of the Fair's history will also be the Life in the Clouds program, where Milo Manara presented his comic Il nome della rosa /The Name of the Rose (Oblomov Edizioni), based on the famous book by Umberto Eco. “Between Eros and Thanatos, I choose Eros. There is still time for death”, said great Milo Manara, whom the Fair and Pula will remember for the lines of people patiently waiting for the maestro's signature on their copies of his works. 

On the second day of the 29th Fair, the first Histrokosmos was also held – a new fair within a fair focusing on the Saga of Wine and announcing Mikrokosmos, the theme that will mark the 30th jubilee Fair in 2024. The first Histrokosmos is dedicated to the great microcosmos of Istria – to Franko Lukež, a Renaissance man, a visionary of Istrian enology and gastronomy, whose seat at the Istrian table remained empty after his untimely death. A unique emotionally moving program in a cabaret style was hosted by Roberta Razzi. At its heart was the presentation of Lukežijane, a new edition in the making, which includes sayings about food and drink that Franko Lukež collected over the years and shared in the Historia Histriae - the program on  Radio Pula, edited and hosted by Marko Percan.
“This project has saved an entire disappearing world based on spirituality and the earth”, said Marko Percan, speaking about the beautiful experiences of working with Franko Lukež, through which more than 1200 proverbs were collected over four years. Franko's daughter, Petra Lukež, took on the task of systematizing, preparing, and transcribing the radio shows to transform them into essays for a future book, emphasizing that her father was distinguished by work of the old-school meticulousness in collecting proverbs as the important ethnographic heritage of Istria. Bruno Krajcar, the chief editor of Radio Pula, spoke about his encounters with Franko. If he had to turn those meetings into a poem, it would include the following words: “Life is never valley of tears when there is wine.”

“Franko Lukež and his fifty years of work are the microcosmos of Istria. He elevated Istrian and Croatian gastronomic culture to the level of all other European cultures, where we belong in terms of civilization”, said Anita Šikić, director and head editor of the Croatian University Press and a great friend of Istria and the Fair. The program, initiated by Boran Kalčić with co-organizers of Vinistra and the Croatian Sommelier Club, was enriched with Pjer Klaudio Tomaz's sparkling wine, and the sommeliers Emil Perdec and Filip Savić, who also played an important role.

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