“Re: Connect”: Frankfurt Book Fair begins

2021-10-19T12:59:06.226Z

No crowds, fewer exhibitors, 3G: The Frankfurt Book Fair will take place in attendance again - but it will be accompanied by strict rules. The industry is confident at the start.

No crowds, fewer exhibitors, 3G: The Frankfurt Book Fair will take place in attendance again - but it will be accompanied by strict rules.

The industry is confident at the start.

Frankfurt / Main - The 73rd Frankfurt Book Fair starts under the motto “Re: Connect” and with a capped number of visitors.

2000 exhibitors from 80 countries take part in the book show, which after the virtual edition in the Corona year 2020 is now taking place again in presence and with an audience.

The host country this year is Canada.

The 3G rule applies throughout the trade fair.

"Let's not kid ourselves:" back to business "is far from being" back to normal "," said book fair boss Jürgen Boos at the beginning. And in fact, Frankfurt is still a long way from the pre-Corona period. While more than 300,000 people flocked to the site in 2019, a maximum of 25,000 guests per day are allowed in 2021. Two years ago, the number of exhibitors was 7500, almost four times as high.

The book industry was meanwhile optimistic. "With the corona pandemic, we passed one of the largest stress tests in history with ease," said the head of the German Book Trade Association, Karin Schmidt-Friderichs. A look at the current year is also encouraging: Across all sales channels, sales on the book market have, according to the information, caught up with the pre-Corona level by the end of calendar week 40 and are 0.7 percent above sales in the comparable period of 2019. In the The crisis has shown how firmly the book is anchored in society. "Social distancing did not become the distance to the book."

More than 300 authors will present their books or debate social issues at the book fair until Sunday. One of the main topics is “How do we want to live?” - in cooperation with the Franco-German television broadcaster Arte. "We ask ourselves this question in view of the alarming brutality of our dealings with one another, the seemingly unbridgeable division of our society," said Boos. Particular interests were presented vehemently and loudly, "which obscure the view of goals that we can only achieve together." Another question is what contribution the book industry can make.

Inclusion activist Raul Krauthausen and Russian writer and government critic Dmitry Glukhovsky, who spoke out in favor of solidarity, responsibility and freedom, also took part in the morning's press conference.

The book fair will officially open on Tuesday evening (5 p.m.) with a ceremony.

Governor General Mary May Simon will be traveling from Canada, the guest country of honor, and the Canadian writer Margaret Atwood will be connected live.

The Federal Government is represented by Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters, the State of Hesse by State Secretary for Economic Affairs Philipp Nimmermann, and the City of Frankfurt by Mayor Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg.