From page to stage
> This year's Frankfurt Book Fair pays homage to French literature with several big-name authors invited to meet their fans
MARGARET ATWOOD, Dan Brown and Nicholas Sparks were among the big names that descended on Frankfurt as the world’s oldest book fair glamed up for the Instagram generation, hoping to wow the crowds with ‘live events’ by star authors.
And with France as this year’s guest country, it’s not just writers who were getting top billing: French President Emmanuel Macron formally opened the fair with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Oct 10, accompanied by a who’s who of the French literary scene.
After last year’s edition focused on ways for publishers to tap into new technologies such as virtual reality and 3D printing, organisers this year went back to basics, putting the spotlight back on writers and their readers.
“There’s a desire to see authors, to experience them in real life,” the fair’s spokesman Katja Boehne told reporters ahead of the five-day event, which ended last Sunday.
“The book is more alive than ever,” Boehne said, describing a growing trend of fans queuing to see their favourite author in a “pop concert-like” atmosphere.
Legendary Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, whose 1985 dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale is now a successful TV show, was among the top draws in Frankfurt where she was presented with the German book trade’s peace prize for her prescient body of work.
Fairgoers were also treated to the appearance of US romance novelist Nicholas Sparks, whose mega-hits include The Notebook and Message in a Bottle, while historical thriller writer Ken Follett, Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern, and Paula Hawkins of The Girl on the Train fame were likewise drawing readers hoping for an autograph or a selfie.
But the undisputed highlight was when Dan Brown presented his new thriller, Origin – the latest instalment in the bestselling The Da Vinci Code series – in front of an audience of 1,800 book lovers on Saturday.
In what was billed a ‘live event’ with tickets selling for 24.50 (RM122), Brown lifted the veil on professor Robert Langdon’s latest high-adrenaline quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe.
“An event like this, that attracts nearly 2,000 people, we couldn’t have done that in the past,” said the fair’s director Juergen Boos, adding that he planned to expand on the concept in the coming years.
“Our industry simply has to think about image as well, we have to make our business more glamorous,” he said.
Guest nation France took the lead by example by bringing over 180 writers to Germany, including some of the world’s best-known French-language authors.
The star-studded line-up boasted serial provocateur Michel Houellebecq, new enfant-terrible on the block Edouard Louis, acclaimed Congolese novelist Alain Mabanckou and Moroccan-born Leila Slimani, who scared parents everywhere with her awardwinning tale of a killer nanny.
Macron and Merkel sprinkled some political stardust on the literary extravaganza when they opened the French pavilion on the eve of the fair.
Their high-profile joint appearance came as the French leader sought to strengthen the German-Franco tandem in his push for European reforms.
“The presence of Chancellor Merkel and President Macron at the opening of the Frankfurter Buchmesse symbolises the close relationship between Germany and France and their commitment to a strong, unified Europe,” said Boos.
This year’s fair will also be politically charged in other ways, with organisers planning to highlight concerns about freedom of expression in Turkey, where several German nationals have been detained in what Germany described as politically-motivated cases that have strained ties between Ankara and Berlin.
The Frankfurt book fair is the world’s largest publishing event, bringing together over 7,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries.
It dates back to the Middle Ages, with the first edition taking place shortly after the Gutenberg printing press was invented in nearby Mainz. – AFP deposition Paddock gave as part of his unsuccessful lawsuit against the Cosmopolitan Hotel after he slipped on the hotel’s floor.
He told lawyers he wagered as much as US$1 million (RM4.21 million) in a single night while playing 14 hours of video poker a day at his peak in 2006, according to the cable news channel. – Reuters