Needless to say, the Sofia-Frankfurt flight was full of publishers, the cargo was most likely full of catalogs, and the general feeling and attitude was that “we are going to conquer the Chinese market”. The official opening of the fair took place on the evening of October 9. So, in fact, there were no official ceremonies and crowds during the work of the publishers. The event was in the central congress hall of the exhibition. Entry was by invitation only, and journalists were selected in advance. And yes, we were there too!
The slogan of this year's book fair was “I’m on the same page”. It is definitely not very clear at first what it is about. But a little hint will explain everything. This is the 70th edition of the world forum, and this year marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. This was the main focus of the speeches of Federica Mogherini (High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy), Mamuka Bakhtadze (Prime Minister of Georgia), Jürgen Boos (Director and CEO of the Frankfurt Book Fair), and Heinrich Rietmüller (Chairman of the Association of Publishers and Booksellers in Germany). The topic during the opening was only one – freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of the media. The issue of the attitude of the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, towards the Turkish media, journalists and intellectuals was also commented on very sharply. Short videos of journalists who received death sentences in Turkey and sought political asylum in Germany were also presented. This direct criticism was met with applause in the hall, and the Mayor of Frankfurt, Peter Feldmann, stated that this was not a personal attitude towards Turkish citizens, but towards an unfair policy. And it is precisely the Frankfurt fair that is the most appropriate place to grant freedom of the press among all 7,500 exhibitors from 110 countries, almost 300,000 visitors and 10,000 journalists.
This year, the guest country is Georgia, and the motto of its presentation “Georgia – Made by Characters” is in connection with the 33 characters that make up its unique alphabet, included in the UNESCO list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”. And just as a simple summary, we will note that the National Book Center in Georgia was established in 2014 and since then, 200 titles have been translated into German alone. The program of the fair includes 70 Georgian authors and 100 cultural events. And why do we say this? If you remember, in December 2017, there was an official presentation of the invitation from the Sofia Book Fair to the Frankfurt Book Fair. Then the question was asked “How?” and “Can we?” Can we also be a guest country one day. The answer was that we do not have enough Bulgarian literature translated into foreign languages. And the subtext was that we do not have a policy for translating native writers.
And in this context of an international palette, this review of our first day at the fair will be. The total exhibition area cannot be explored in a day or even two. Your head starts to overflow with colors, letters, smells, foods and customs. As we said about Bologna, everyone has brought their own identity here. Some through their books, others through their customs, and still others through their mentality. We will not get drunk on commenting on the Bulgarian stand, it is the same one from Bologna, the same dysfunctional and barricaded wooden prison. Somewhere behind it, ABK was also huddled, which for better or for… better, was not visible at all (read carefully what is written in the photo!).
The official opening of the Bulgarian space was the work of Amelia Gesheva (Deputy Minister of Culture), who in an official interview on BNT stated that she had never seen the previous stands, i.e. she had never been to the Frankfurt Book Fair. This explains a lot, but we leave the conclusions to you. The opening (at 11:00) was accompanied by wine and pickles in a glass. It is a pity because we have the potential to present production, but when the people on whom this depends do everything for the first time again, these publishers who were chosen to bring their own books and are here at the fair with great joy and hope, are presented in this way. And no, it does NOT depend on them!
Why are we even commenting on this act? It is definitely not to pick on each other, but to place and perhaps compare ourselves with all the other 7,499 exhibitors. Traditionally in Frankfurt, every visitor is welcomed hospitably at every stand. At the Turkish (since we have talked about their politics so far) they are immediately ready to offer you tea in a characteristically small cup or coffee. At the Armenian stand, Armenian sweets are offered. The Poles serve giant red apples. The Dutch with wine. The Irish with beer. At the Uzbekistan stand – dried fruits. Sweets and treats lurk everywhere, in the evening the tables are laden with one type of catering or another, and the exhibitions open with draft beer and pretzels. And no, this is not the Bulgarian idea of how Bai Ganyo will stop by and have a bite at Irechek's. This is to attract attention and create an atmosphere of communication, even after the end of "working hours". Books are discussed, portfolios are reviewed and plans are made. And the next day they are greeted with Brazilian coffee at the Brazil stand. Some offer promotional gifts such as bags, badges, brooches or pens, others have found different ways to present themselves through booth decoration (the Greeks brought olive trees), typical country clothes or a hidden small detail. Because as important as it is to present your product to your interlocutor, it is just as important to present where you are from and who you are. As Federica Mogherina said in her speech – “Your Identity”.
And as a conclusion to this opening day of the fair, we would like to point out once again that we are not talking about a “book market” here, we are talking about buying and selling copyrights here. Those who stand behind the “stand” (in reality, we only have a stand at the Bulgarian pavilion) are publishers, those who stand in front of it (“enter” is the right word) are also publishers. Books are not sold. (I tried! For the experiment, although I have been here before and I know very well.) Negotiations are underway about prices for circulations, printers in China, shipping to Thessaloniki and advertising campaigns. Grandmothers and grandchildren – nein! The public is only allowed to the exhibition during the weekend (entrance fee €20 per day), so that the books brought from all over the world do not have to be returned. Making it easier for everyone.
The rest of our commentary from the fair is presented to you in photos on our Facebook page and we hope that we have at least captured a little of the spirit of the different countries, which is not defined only by a misspelled logo or a single word.
Text and photos: Milena Radeva
(If you want to use our photos or articles – contact us for permission!)
Add comment