News
Hong Kong Book Fair Turns The E-Page
The Hong Kong Book Fair taking place this year from July 21-27, 2010, is the biggest Chinese language book fair, with nearly one million attendees every year. This year, they are turning the e-page and including an electronic publishing section. Over 20 electronic publishers have booths at the 2010 Hong Kong Book Fair.
Martin Ke, who works for Hong Kong’s Jecomtech, which sells the Onyx Boox, a Chinese e-book reader, was quoted in the July 21st New York Times:
Some books, like beautiful design books, are still nicer in print. But I think e-books are going to grow. They’re convenient, they’re portable, and, some say, they are more environmentally friendly.
Are e-books “more environmentally friendly”? In the July 20th Wall Street Journal,
Amazon.com is quoted as claiming that their Kindle e-book reader is outselling hardbacks, one wonders about the impact of so many new electronic gadgets being produced, money changing hands for Internet fees and e-book purchases, and the amount of electricity needed to power all of these ever-increasing e-book readers. Then there is the toll on the eyes of the readers glued to pixels for hours rather than focusing on a more natural paper page.
What do you think about this new electronic revolution?
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Portuguese Nobel Prize-winning novelist José Saramago, a true favorite of the Frankfurt Book Fair.
José Saramago (b. 1922) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998. That very same year, Lisbon was hosting the World Expo, and the Frankfurt Book Fair was hosting Portugal as the Guest of Honor.
Many authors were present for the occasion. Little did anyone know that a soon-to-be Nobel Prizewinner was among them.
Peter Weidhaas tells the story this way in See You in Frankfurt:
More than 40 Portuguese writers came to Frankfurt to present their work, and we intentionally included the Portuguese language authors from Africa and the Americas among them. There were lectures about Portuguese film and screenings of such films, translator workshops sponsored by the Gulbenkian Foundation with poets like Luís Filipe Castro Mendes, Fiama Hasse Pais Brandão, Fernando Pinto do Amaral, all whose very names seem poetic. And of course there were exhibitions on Fernando Pessoa and on topics like “Portuguese as a World Language.” These latter included José Eduardo Agualusa from Angola, Germano Almeida from Cape Verde Islands, Mia Couto from Mozambique, Teolinda Gersão from Portugal, and João Ubaldo Ribeiro from Brazil. The most popular and most heavily attended were the purely literary discussions, such as the roundtables led by Curt Meyer-Clason on Portugal—“Poetic Reflections of a Country” with Pedro Tamen, Fiama Hasse Pais Brandão and Manuel Alegre; then, moderated by Ralph Roger Glöckler, the reading of “Place and Country” with Mário de Carvalho and José Riço Direitinho. There was the introductory theme, “Lisbon—A Literary Portrait,” a reading and discussion with Lidia Jorge, João de Melo, Maria Velho da Costa, and moderated by Wilfried F. Schoeller. There was a reading as though in dialogue, led by Ray-Güde Mertin, of “Paths of the Contemporary Novel,” as trod by Agustina Bessa-Luís, Almeida Faria, José Saramago and Maria Velho da Costa.
José Saramago was already on the way to the airport when the news reached us that he had won the Nobel Prize for literature that year. We sent someone chasing after him and his wife, who were intending to fly home, and were able to catch them just before check-in. He returned to the Fair. We improvised a press conference, which was heavily attended by the world press and many international television groups, all wanting to interview the new Nobel Prize winner. In the evening this writer and everyone interested in Portuguese literature celebrated this extraordinary event with great gusto. This was a fabulous conclusion to the Portuguese guest country program at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Read more from the BBC: Nobel-winning author Jose Saramago dies at 87
Get Linked In to the Frankfurt Book Fair
One of the more useful discussion sites we follow is the Frankfurt Book Fair group at the professional network LinkedIn.
You need a LinkedIn account to take part, but with that you can join the Frankfurt Book Fair group to follow discussions, news, and connect up with other Book Fair-goers. Your membership will even show up in your LinkedIn profile. It’s a great way to show your support for the Frankfurt Book Fair!
Book Expo America is on in New York May 25–27! We just got word that the Frankfurt Book Fair will be showing at the German Stand (#2341), and have invited attendees to a reception on Wednesday, May 26 at 5pm.
And while you are here, we welcome you to come visit Locus Publishing (#3571) to get a preview of Peter Weidhaas’s memoirs and other new releases.
Follow @FrankfurtDE for all your weather updates
To receive the current weather conditions, updated hourly, we’re following @FrankfurtDE on Twitter. You should too, whether coming to Frankfurt or already here!
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