The
Frankfurt Book
Fair held every October is considered the biggest and most
influential international trade fair in publishing. To find out how
the German sponsors planned such an event and to get their views on
this year’s fair and the books China exhibited, china.org.cn
interviewed Sabine Kaldonek, chief press coordinator for the fair.
china.org.cn: As a big economic and cultural power, Germany has
sponsored this annual international book fair for many years. What
is your main purpose in having the fair and what are its most
important elements?
Sabine Kaldonek: The Frankfurt Book Fair is a grand annual cultural
gathering. We do not sponsor the fair for its own sake. As
globalization in politics, economics, and culture speeds up, the
differences and conflicts between local traditional cultures and
alien cultures have become increasingly distinctive and sharp.
Today exchanges and communications between cultures have become
urgent for every country. We arrange the book fair to include
various countries and regions to complement so that cultures
complement one another. You see countries from the West and the
East with different cultural backgrounds contact and communicate
with each other on wide-ranging topics. International book
exchanges can be one of the most effective ways to promote cultural
assimilation and merging. This year’s fair has been held at a very
special time. As we all know, traditional Western culture is very
different from the Islamic culture which is pretty obscure to the
Western world. Many of us know nothing about it. We have called the
cultural ambassadors from both worlds to this fair, and here they
deepen their mutual understanding of each other. They will
influence more people after they return to their homelands. I think
that is part of our purpose.
china.org.cn: Why did you choose “detective novels” as the theme of
this year’s fair?
Sabine Kaldonek: That’s very easy to understand: Detective novels
have a very popular following among readers in Europe and the
world, and its market potential is limitless.
china.org.cn: Electronic publications are thought to have great
prospects. Does the Frankfurt Book Fair have any plans involving
them?
Sabine Kaldonek: Electronic publications and multi-media technology
are inevitable results of today’s scientific and technological
development. We won’t be opening an independent exhibition room for
electronic books or multi-media technology in the fair in the near
future. But we encourage exhibitors to adopt hi-tech to better
introduce their products to the audience.
china.org.cn: China has actively participated in the Frankfurt Book
Fair over the years. What Chinese publications do you think are
interesting to German readers? And why?
Sabine Kaldonek: We have seen that the books that the Chinese
delegation displays in the fair reflect the China’s new
achievements in various areas quite well. This is very important to
German readers. However, it would be better if you could publish
more German versions of Chinese books and sell them to Germany.
Germans always have been interested in books on traditional Chinese
culture, such as Chinese classics, literary works, and books on
cooking, traditional Chinese medicine and therapies, tourism, and
Chinese archaeology. The Chinese-German and German-Chinese
educational books also have a big market in Germany, and they are
important part of German-Chinese cultural communication. Now
China’s economy is developing quickly, and the world is looking at
your progress. To know more about China, the Germans like to read
Chinese books and this can be shown by the large number of German
readers who have visited the Chinese display counters.
china.org.cn: What are the major drawbacks to Chinese
publications?
Sabine Kaldonek: You may have noticed that books published in
Germany, no matter the area or discipline, all set popular
acceptance as the ultimate goal. Convenience and practicality are
always emphasized in design and layout of books. Therefore, we wish
that you would make the books you export to Germany, especially
reference books and professional books, smaller and more portable
in line with German tastes.
(china.org.cn October 19, 2001)