欧美文化:Floating book fair brings hope, joy to Lebanese in hard times

BEIRUT, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- At the turn of the year, tens of thousands of Lebanese had a chance to get on board of the ship Logos Hope to bid farewell to 2022 and greet the New Year.

Since Logos Hope, the world's largest floating book fair, docked at the Beirut port on Dec. 15, about 50,000 people have visited the book fair which closed on Saturday. The ship will leave Beirut on Tuesday.

The library ship, home to about 5,000 titles, brought knowledge and hope to the Lebanese struggling for three years from a steep financial crisis, dragging most of them into despair.

"It feels great to see this ship dock in Beirut; it diverts people's attention from the daily suffering they experience due to the current crisis," said Hala Nassar, a 43-year-old mother of two children.

Nassar, who visited the ship along with her family, told Xinhua her children were amazed by the collection of children's books offered on Logos Hope.

"They were amazed by the idea of the ship and asked questions about how it operates and its goals," she added.

For Elie Msallem, another visitor, the ship is unique as it gathers people of all ages from different cultures and countries where they can communicate and learn from each other.

About 350 volunteers from 65 countries tour the world on Logos Hope to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy.

The ship stays in each port for a few weeks and receives thousands of visitors daily.