70 years of the Frankfurt Book Fair

At the first book fair in Frankfurt in September 1949, provisional book stalls offered visitors an overview of the book market in Germany. There was a great desire for uncensored culture and literature from other countries. The division into East and West led to the founding of a new book fair in Frankfurt (FRG) and an East German one in Leipzig (GDR).

Shortly after the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Frankfurt Book Fair was launched by the Börsenverein and committed booksellers. In September 1949, publishers, booksellers, writers and interested parties were able to view the displays of 205 exhibitors and make first contacts. 14,000 visitors came to the Paulskirche in Frankfurt; 8,500 book titles were presented at that time.

The fair was soon bursting at the seams, with more and more publishers from abroad wanting to present their books. In 1951, it was moved to the larger exhibition halls. The book trade in Germany also profited from the award of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, which attracted an international audience. In 1953, for the first time, more foreign publishers were represented than German ones.

The intention of the founders of the Frankfurt Fair was very political. After the Nazi dictatorship and the exodus of many publishers and writers into exile, Germany was to be presented to the world as a nation of culture. After the German victory at the 1954 Football World Cup, national football fever also spread to the fair. Employees of the Burda publishing house even wore soccer jerseys.

The October date of the trade fair quickly became a tradition in Frankfurt. The Leipzig Book Fair, on the other hand, always took place in spring so that publishers, booksellers, and writers could meet on both dates. It was the book fair that brought many emigrants — publishers and writers alike — back to German soil again after the war. In 1957, 1,300 publishers showed their new publications.

The new publications of the German publishing houses were also a mirror of the young Federal Republic. At the Frankfurt fair, publishers presented not only aesthetic literature and high-quality illustrated books, but also popular advice books and inexpensive paperbacks from the mid-1960s onwards. Frankfurt had also become an exchange point for international licensing.

The wild years of student protests in Germany also left their mark on the book fair. 1968 went down in Frankfurt's history as the "Police Fair," with police officers blocking the entrance to the exhibition hall. Demonstrators had been outraged by the award of the Peace Prize to Senegalese President Leopold Senghor. Protests against right-wing publishers also disrupted the trade fair operations.

Again and again, scandals about politically explosive or indiscreet book publications have grabbed media attention over the years — for example, in 1989, with the release of the "Satanic Verses" by British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie.

Works by Peter Handke, this year's Nobel Prize in Literature winner, will surely also be the source of debate at the fair this year. His breakthrough came in 1966 with his play "Publikumsbeschimpfung" ("Offending the Audience"), in which he had actors insult theatergoers. His pro-Serbian stance in the Balkan conflict and his book "A Journey to The Rivers: Justice for Serbia" also made headlines.

Since 1988, the fair has given selected nations the opportunity to present their literary works as special areas of focus. Italy was the first host country. "Books about Italy" showed some 3,000 titles, with the media response highly enthusiastic. In 2006, India (see image) presented its linguistic diversity. This year, the host country will be Norway.

The Frankfurt Book Fair's model of giving space to host countries and devoting special attention to its national literary landscape has been imitated throughout the world. Nowadays, the trade in translation rights is a central component of the book fair. More than 390,000 book titles, audio books, e-books and digital products are now being presented in Frankfurt.