” “Books, bridges between cultures

The Book Fair that opened at Frankfurt on Wednesday 9 and ends on Monday 14 October is one of uncertainty: the publishing industry in almost all the participating countries is facing a watershed. For many publishers the 2002 Fair heralds a period of stagnation of the system, and for the more catastrophic a descent into crisis. But no one bets more heavily on the success of the Fair than its new director Volker Neumann , who took up his post in early September. He is one of the few to maintain that the event may be an occasion to relaunch the whole publishing industry . We put some questions to him. “Bridges for a divided world” is the motto of this year’s Fair. Do you think that the cultural debate can help to bring religions closer together? “The Frankfurt Fair has the duty to look beyond the sale of exhibition stands. Books reflect what’s happening in the world. The ‘book business’ is a ‘business of ideas’, and the challenges and opportunities that are emerging thanks to globalization are certainly an argument worth discussing. Religious fundamentalism, international terrorism, violence and the disparities between rich and poor are questions that need to be tackled. That’s why we have dedicated to them a book fair, a forum of debate and a series of lectures and meetings. Our hope is that these events may help to give rise to constructive ideas”. What are the cultural “tools” to build “bridges” between people and cultures? “The main tools are three: reading, listening, talking. Literature is undoubtedly the most important vehicle to transmit the cultural identity of peoples and nations. Paying attention to what the people of other cultures say about themselves and their own life is the best way of learning to understand the situation in other countries. Speaking with each other, exchanging points of view: these are the tools that help people gain a balanced conception of themselves and of the world”. Why was Lithuania chosen as guest country? “We don’t choose the guest country in agreement with the developments of international policy, but in this case we can say that Lithuania, one of the candidate countries seeking EU membership, enables us to get to know a new partner. The guest country brings a breath of fresh air into the programme of the Fair, that of cultures and literatures different from ours. This mode of acting worked very well in the past: each year there have been hundreds of events linked to the guest country throughout Germany”. Patrizia Collesi Frankfurt Book Fair: facts and figures The total of exhibitors is 6,322, a figure that registers a drop of 4.7% over 2001. Of these 852 are British, 725 American, 322 Italian, 200 Dutch and 176 Spanish. There are 2084 German publishers present: a decrease of 390 over the previous year. Also on the decline for the first time since 1993 is the participation of the electronic media, such as e-books. The sector of religious publishing is also present: 288 publishers altogether, of which 75 from Germany, 37 from the USA, 31 from Great Britain, 27 from Italy. The participation of the Baltic States is also strong: with 26 authors, and 16 new publications in German. The meetings planned in connection with the theme of the fair: “Bridges for a divided world” are eagerly awaited. The more prestigious interventions on the programme include those of the Israeli writer Amos Oz, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu. An exhibition on globalization should also be mentioned. On 12 October, central day of the Fair, the Peace prize will, as usual, be awarded: this year it is being awarded to the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, famous throughout the world for his epic trilogy “Before the Rain”.