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)
