Bücher machen Leute. Leute machen Bücher. This year’s slogan of the Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair, October 12-16 in Frankfurt/Main) claims that you are what you read.
Frankfurter Buchmesse. Public domain photo.
The widespread importance and popularity of the printed word dates back to the 15thcentury , when world renown Johannes Gutenberg
Johannes Gutenberg. Public domain photo.
invented the first moveable type in Mainz on the Rhine, just a few kilometers west of Frankfurt on the Main. Soon booksellers recognized the need for regular meetings and began to do so regularly in Frankfurt, and the concept of a book fair was born. Frankfurt remained the center of the innovative book trade until the 18thcentury, when, due to political developments, Leipzig became the center of literature, philosophy and science. The division of Germany after World War II rekindled Frankfurt’s importance as a hub of published thought. The first post-war book fair was held at the historic Frankfurter Paulskirche, the place that housed the German Parliament after the 1848 Revolution.
Frankfurter St. Paulskirche. Public domain photo.
From then on, the East-German book fair was held in Leipzig, and the West German book fair in Frankfurt. Soon Frankfurt outran its competitors, and became the largest and most significant trading place for international book publishing and licensing rights in the West. Today, more than 7,300 exhibitors from over 100 countries participate, and the fair hosts over 280,000 visitors from all over the world.
This year’s guest of honor and focal theme is Iceland, its culture and literature. More than 3,000 special events, such as a panel discussion with Roland Emmerich, the famed Hollywood director (Independence Day, The Patriot), who will introduce his latest movie, Anonymous, a political thriller advancing the theory that it wasn’t Shakespeare who penned the famed plays. Clearly there is no better place to discuss authorship than a book fair! Visit www.buchmesse.de for more information.
