Michel Houellebecq, Yasmina Khadra, Yasmina Reza, Nancy Huston, Amelie Nothomb. These are just a few of the cultural heavyweights slated to feature at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. France is to be the official guest country of the world’s larges publishing event, with French literature taking centre stage.
Above all, the French language will be in the spotlight. The francophone sphere, which is composed of more than 270 million people worldwide, extends well beyond France’s borders, to Africa, Asia, the Maghreb and Canada.
“There is a new awareness. French-language authors, be they in other countries or immigrants in France, are very important these days for French publishers,” Paul de Sinety, chairman of the French delegation’s organisational committee, said.
“Francfort en francais” (Frankfurt in French) is the slogan of the official guests, who have announced a major cultural offensive ahead of the fair. Germany’s neighbour to the west is attaching great importance to its appearance on such a huge international cultural platform.
“We must once again win over young people in Germany and elsewhere to French culture,” says de Sinety. “We have migrants and young authors who also have a lot to tell Germany.”
Some 300 events are planned for the book fair. A further 400 are set to take place in venues all over Germany throughout the course of the year.
France played official guest at the fair once before, in 1989. Yet the country was a little coy this time round, taking its time to accept Germany’s invitation. Now, after initial prevarications, a great fanfare is to surround their participation; more than 500French books in translation are to be showcased.
The landscape of contemporary French literature is marked by important trends and major figures. First and foremost comes Houellebecq, the ‘enfant terrible’ of modern writers in France.
For years now, his novels have taken aim at the narcissistic consumerism of both the West and Islam. The 61-year-old will be feted in Frankfurt, despite the absence of a new work. Instead, the focus will be on revisiting previously unconsidered aspects of his existing oeuvre.
One piece to be explored is “Mourir” (To Die). Taken from “Blue White Red — France Narrates” an anthology of authors living in France, the work deals with his childhood and his relationship to his parents. The author wrote it at the age of 47 and never intended to publish it; he typically shies away from autobiographical writing.
Outside of France, current francophone literature has found an Algerian representative in Yasmina Khadra. Before emigrating to France at the end of 2000, he had been an officer in the Algerian army. The focus of his works is his native country, one troubled by corruption, terrorism and poverty. His novel “Les anges meurent denos blessures” (The Angels Die from our Wounds) is the story of a poverty-stricken boy who dreams of a better life.
Among the best internationally known female francophone authors is Yasmina Reza, who explores the emotional depths of couples’ relationships. In a similar vein, “Babylon” by Franco-Canadian writer Nancy Huston deals with dishonest relationships in a familial context.
A growing number of French authors are dealing with a certain set ofthemes: unemployment, terrorism, the spread of capitalism, right-wing populism and racism. Among their ranks are writer and film-maker Negar Djavadi and author Jean-Baptiste Del Amo. Both are expected in Frankfurt.
France is an important centre for the publishing industry. It is home to some 55,000 active writers. Each year, some 75,000 new titles are published.
There are upwards of 4,000 publishing houses, including renowned ones such as Gallimard, Flammarion and Seuil, but also many smaller ones. In 2015, French publishers sold more than 436 million books for some 2.5 billion euros ($2.95 billion) in revenue. — dpa
Sabine Glaubitz and Thomas Maier
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