So German!
Oct 19, 2021 - So German Team
The Frankfurt Book Fair has been organized by the Frankfurter Buchmesse GmbH since 1949, when 205 German exhibitors gathered in Frankfurt’s Paulskirche for the first post-WWII book fair. The history of the Frankfurt Book Fair dates back to the 15th century. At that time, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press just a few kilometers from the center of Frankfurt. Today, the Frankfurt Book Fair is the world’s largest book fair, an international brand and a role model for cultural events. The company is active in international publications throughout the year and well beyond the days of the fair.
From 20 to 24 October 2021, the international publishing industry will come together at the 73rd Frankfurter Buchmesse under the motto “Re:connect –Welcome back to Frankfurt”: 1,500 exhibitors from more than 70 countries along with some 200 authors will once again turn Frankfurter Buchmesse into a marketplace for content and a celebration of books. “The focus of this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse will be reuniting with colleagues and authors from around the world. Books proved themselves to be particularly resilient and popular as a medium during the pandemic. Anyone who wants to comprehend the complexity of our times appreciates the creativity and expertise exhibited by writers and the editorial care required for producing books. Literature connects readers all over the world. This year, the book fair will once again bring together the global industry for one week in Frankfurt –and, naturally, people everywhere around the world will be able to follow all the action live,” says Juergen Boos, president of Frankfurter Buchmesse.
Frankfurt Book Fair 2021
On 6 October 2016, the Government of Canada signed a contract committing itself to Canada’s participation as the Guest of Honor (GoH) at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020. Canada FBM2020 was then established as an entity in collaboration with the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) and the Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL) to manage, in French and English, the role and involvement of the Canadian book publishing industry at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Canada’s plans as GoH were impacted. On July 7th, 2020 the Government of Canada and the Frankfurter Buchmesse announced the official postponement of Canada’s Guest of Honor role to 2021. The 2021 Frankfurt Book Fair will be taking place from October 20 – 24th, 2021.
Today, the Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest book fair, an international brand and a role model for cultural events.
Singular Plurality –Singulier Pluriel
Canada FBM2021 and its partners announced that a literary delegation of almost 60 Canadian authors and illustrators will be taking part –including nine exceptional authors who will represent the country this year on the world stage in Frankfurt: Michael Crummey, Michel Jean, Dany Laferrière, Canisia Lubrin, Catherine Mavrikakis, Paul Seesequasis, Vivek Shraya, Kim Thúy and Nancy Vo.
In addition to the readings and interactive appearances by the nine artists at the fairgrounds, more than 50 authors will participate in numerous digital events, including virtual appearances by Margaret Atwood and Joséphine Bacon at the opening ceremony. In addition to the announcement by its author delegation, Canada also presented some highlights of the literature program for the Guest of Honor pavilion, reflecting not only the size of the country, but also the diversity of its culture, languages and traditions. In keeping with the motto “Singular Plurality”, the programme will address the topics “Language and Culture”, “Indigenous, Political and Social Issues”, “Space and Territories”, “Children’s and Young Adult Literature”, “Women in Literature”, “LGBTQ2 Perspectives” and “The Environment”.
On October 20, the guest of honor will present “Canada Night” in the festival hall, a night of literary debate in which authors and illustrators participate both remotely via digital feed and in person on stage. Live artistic performances make this special event an unforgettable experience. During the week of the fair, Canada will also present its cultural program throughout Frankfurt, including screenings, interactive activities and illuminations that highlight Canada’s unique plurality.
For the first time in the history of the book fair, a prominent country welcomes the world in a virtual guest of honor pavilion, organized by Toronto-based company Majestic Media under the conceptual direction of. Gonzalo Soldi, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Mirai, was developed and launched. The Virtual Pavilion is a collaborative venture that will showcase Canadian literature, as well as the digital experience of its creative and technology industries.
FOLLOW @GERMANYINCANADA & @SOGERMANCANADA FOR LIVE IMPRESSIONS FROM THE 2021 FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR
Souces: With files from Buchmesse.de and https://canadafbm2021.com/.
