Guests of Honour, Focuses of Interests
Since 1976, a guest of honour, or a focus of interest is named for the fair. A special literary programme is organised for the occasion (readings, arts exhibitions, public discussion panels, theatre productions, and radio and TV programmes). A special exhibition hall is set up for the guest country, and the major publishing houses are present at the fair.
| Year | Guest of honour / Focus of interest | Motto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Latin America | Latin American literature | |
| 1978 | Kind und Buch (Child and book) | ||
| 1980 | Subsaharan Africa | ||
| 1982 | Religions | ||
| 1984 | George Orwell | ||
| 1986 | India | Indian literature | Wandel in Tradition (Change in tradition) |
| 1988 | Italy | Italian literature | Italienisches Tagebuch (Italian diary) |
| 1989 | France | French literature | L’Automne français (French autumn) |
| 1990 | Japan | Japanese literature | Then and Now |
| 1991 | Spain | Spanish literature | La Hora de España (Spain's hour) |
| 1992 | Mexico | Mexican literature | Ein offenes Buch (An open book) |
| 1993 | Flanders and the Netherlands | Dutch literature | Weltoffen (Open-minded) |
| 1994 | Brasil | Brazilian literature | Begegnung von Kulturen (Encounter of cultures) |
| 1995 | Austria | Austrian literature | |
| 1996 | Ireland | Irish literature | Und seine Diaspora (And its diaspora) |
| 1997 | Portugal | Portuguese literature | Wege in die Welt (Paths into the world) |
| 1998 | Switzerland | Swiss literature | Hoher Himmel – enges Tal (High skies – narrow valleys) |
| 1999 | Hungary | Hungarian literature | Unbegrenzt (unlimited) |
| 2000 | Poland | Polish literature | ©Poland |
| 2001 | Greece | Greek literature | Neue Wege nach Ithaka (New ways to Ithaka) |
| 2002 | Lithuania | Lithuanian literature | Fortsetzung folgt (To be continued) |
| 2003 | Russia | Russian literature | Neue Seiten (New pages/perspectives) |
| 2004 | Arab world | Arab literature | |
| 2005 | Korea | Korean literature | |
| 2006 | India | Indian literature | Today’s India |
| 2007 | Catalan Countries | Catalan literature | Singular i Universal (Singular and general) |
| 2008 | Turkey | Turkish literature | Faszinierend farbig (Fascinatingly colourful) |
| 2009 | China | Chinese literature | Tradition & Innovation |
| 2010 | Argentina | Argentine literature | Kultur in Bewegung (Culture in motion) |
| 2011 | Iceland | Icelandic literature | Sagenhaftes Island (Fabulous Iceland) |
| 2012 | New Zealand | New Zealand literature | Bevor es bei euch hell wird (While you were sleeping) |
| 2013 | Brazil | Brazilian literature | |
| 2014 | Finland | Finnish literature |
Some choices aroused criticism and controversy. The 2007 fair attracted criticism from both the Spanish and German media. German news magazine Der Spiegel described it as "closed-minded" for its policy of not including the many Catalans who write in Spanish in its definition of Catalan literature. The decision to exclude any element of "Spanishness", defined as literature exclusively done in Spanish, from the fair was made in spite of the fact that the Spanish government contributed more than 6 million euros towards the cost of the fair.
The Guest of Honour in 2009 was China, stirring a controversy about the country's record on human rights.
Read more about this topic: Frankfurt Book Fair
Famous quotes containing the words guests, focuses and/or interests:
“When her guests were awash with champagne and with gin,
She was recklessly sober, as sharp as a pin.
An abstemious man would reel at her look,
As she rolled a bright eye and praised his last book.”
—William Plomer (1903–1973)
“Wit is often concise and sparkling, compressed into an original pun or metaphor. Brevity is said to be its soul. Humor can be more leisurely, diffused through a whole story or picture which undertakes to show some of the comic aspects of life. What it devalues may be human nature in general, by showing that certain faults or weaknesses are universal. As such it is kinder and more philosophic than wit which focuses on a certain individual, class, or social group.”
—Thomas Munro (1897–1974)
“You know about a person who deeply interests you more than you can be told. A look, a gesture, an act, which to everybody else is insignificant tells you more about that one than words can.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)