FRANKFURT BOOKFAIR
Frankfurt (Germany) (AFP) – An eclectic range of topics will be in focus at the world's biggest book fair this week, from a row over an Italian mafia author to growing interest in wacky literary subgenres and AI in publishing.
Issued on: 15/10/2024 -
A host of big-name authors and many other figures from publishing are attending the Frankfurt book fair
© Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
The Frankfurt book fair, which officially kicks off Wednesday, brings together authors, publishers and other industry players over five days in the western German city.
Big names include Israeli author and historian Yuval Noah Harari, best known for "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind", American writer Anne Applebaum and British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak.
But the run-up has been marred by a row in Italy, this year's "guest of honour", an annual tradition intended to shine a spotlight on a partner country's literary scene.
Fury erupted after the initial official selection put forward by the Italians did not include Roberto Saviano, author of mafia bestseller "Gomorrah" who was convicted and fined last year for defaming far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Following the move, Saviano lashed out on social media at what he branded the "most ignorant government in the history of Italy". In the end he is coming to the fair anyway, but at the invitation of his German publisher.
The Frankfurt book fair, which officially kicks off Wednesday, brings together authors, publishers and other industry players over five days in the western German city.
Big names include Israeli author and historian Yuval Noah Harari, best known for "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind", American writer Anne Applebaum and British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak.
But the run-up has been marred by a row in Italy, this year's "guest of honour", an annual tradition intended to shine a spotlight on a partner country's literary scene.
Fury erupted after the initial official selection put forward by the Italians did not include Roberto Saviano, author of mafia bestseller "Gomorrah" who was convicted and fined last year for defaming far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Following the move, Saviano lashed out on social media at what he branded the "most ignorant government in the history of Italy". In the end he is coming to the fair anyway, but at the invitation of his German publisher.
Controversy has surrounded Italy being 'guest of honour' at this year's fair © Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Critics say it is further evidence of a worsening climate for freedom of expression in Italy, with 41 authors writing an open letter in response that complained of "increasingly suffocating political interference in cultural spaces".
The Italian Publishers Association insisted that it would never allow any kind of "outside interference" in the programme, called "Roots in the future".
The fair is no stranger to controversy -- last year several publishers from Muslim-majority countries withdrew in protest at organisers' strong support for Israel following Hamas's October 7 attacks that triggered the Gaza war.
Fair director Juergen Boos insisted it was right to maintain Italy as guest of honour, despite the controversy.
"I think to showcase what's happening in Italy's culture right now, in Italy's politics, it is very important," he told AFP.
Critics say it is further evidence of a worsening climate for freedom of expression in Italy, with 41 authors writing an open letter in response that complained of "increasingly suffocating political interference in cultural spaces".
The Italian Publishers Association insisted that it would never allow any kind of "outside interference" in the programme, called "Roots in the future".
The fair is no stranger to controversy -- last year several publishers from Muslim-majority countries withdrew in protest at organisers' strong support for Israel following Hamas's October 7 attacks that triggered the Gaza war.
Fair director Juergen Boos insisted it was right to maintain Italy as guest of honour, despite the controversy.
"I think to showcase what's happening in Italy's culture right now, in Italy's politics, it is very important," he told AFP.
'Romantasy' and robot writers
There is much more going on besides the controversy surrounding Italy -- the world's biggest publishing trade event will this year welcome about 1,000 authors and other speakers at some 650 events on 15 stages.
A large area will be dedicated to "new adult" literature, which encompasses a weird and outlandish range of sub-genres beloved of younger readers, such as "Romantasy" and "Dark College".
These genres have been rapidly growing in popularity, often boosted by exposure through social media trend BookTok on the TikTok platform, where authors promote their work and readers post reviews.
Artificial intelligence will also be a major topic, with talks and panel discussions dedicated to the subject, as fears mount in the industry about poor-quality, computer-written books flooding the market and potential opyright violations.
Leading authors, including John Grisham and Jodi Picoult, have in recent times taken legal action against OpenAI, alleging the company unlawfully used their works to train its popular AI chatbot ChatGPT.
A huge range of literature will feature at the Frankfurt book fair
© Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Still it's not all doom and gloom. There are hopes that AI can improve efficiency for publishers and also that it could be beneficial in some areas, such as scientific and research publishing.
"On the one side it's beneficial for the workflows in the publishing houses," said Boos. "On the other hand, regarding copyright, it's a big mess."
An annual highlight is the awarding of the prestigious "Peace of the German Book Trade", which will this year go to Applebaum, an American-Polish journalist and historian whose latest book "Autocracy Inc." examines the growing links between authoritarian states.
© 2024 AFP
Still it's not all doom and gloom. There are hopes that AI can improve efficiency for publishers and also that it could be beneficial in some areas, such as scientific and research publishing.
"On the one side it's beneficial for the workflows in the publishing houses," said Boos. "On the other hand, regarding copyright, it's a big mess."
An annual highlight is the awarding of the prestigious "Peace of the German Book Trade", which will this year go to Applebaum, an American-Polish journalist and historian whose latest book "Autocracy Inc." examines the growing links between authoritarian states.
© 2024 AFP
Belgian pathologist and literary star gives 'voice to the dead'
Blegny (Belgium) (AFP) – Forensic pathologist Philippe Boxho likes to ask people "why shouldn't we laugh about death?". But gallows humour is just one of the ingredients that the surprise literary sensation brings to his macabre line of storytelling.
Issued on: 15/10/2024 -
Blegny (Belgium) (AFP) – Forensic pathologist Philippe Boxho likes to ask people "why shouldn't we laugh about death?". But gallows humour is just one of the ingredients that the surprise literary sensation brings to his macabre line of storytelling.
Issued on: 15/10/2024 -
Philippe Boxho has worked on hundreds of bodies -- bringing to light homicide cases that would otherwise have remained undetected © Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
In 33 years as a medical examiner in Belgium's eastern Liege region, Boxho has performed hundreds of autopsies -- his attention to detail bringing to light homicide cases that would otherwise have remained undetected.
Boxho has become a surprise star of the book world in Belgium and France, distilling his unusual line of work into taut collections of short stories, each one 15 pages or less.
Anchored in real life, the writing is unflinching and darkly-humorous, but the 59-year-old Boxho also seeks to impart some of his passion for a little-known, but crucial, profession.
The enthusiasm is palpable as the pathologist described the "excitement of being there at the start of an investigation", of pulling on his sturdy dishwashing gloves and white coveralls to begin working.
It's a way, he said of his work, "to give voice to the dead one last time".
Boxho's observations have revealed the most unusual of circumstances for a person's demise -- like the 60-something woman who had her throat slashed by her son's pitbull terrier, that she had exceptionally gone to feed.
Another time he established how a farmer was trapped by a bull he did not see surge from the stable shadows. Multiple fractures to the torso and limbs showed how the hapless victim was crushed by a beast weighing in at 1.2 tonnes.
The idea of writing came to Boxho in 2021, triggered by the success of a post by Belgian channel RTBF, in which he recounted three striking anecdotes.
Encouraged, he decided to set down in writing more of the stories pulled from his more than three decades in forensics -- which until then had been shared only with students at the medical school where he teaches.
In 33 years as a medical examiner in Belgium's eastern Liege region, Boxho has performed hundreds of autopsies -- his attention to detail bringing to light homicide cases that would otherwise have remained undetected.
Boxho has become a surprise star of the book world in Belgium and France, distilling his unusual line of work into taut collections of short stories, each one 15 pages or less.
Anchored in real life, the writing is unflinching and darkly-humorous, but the 59-year-old Boxho also seeks to impart some of his passion for a little-known, but crucial, profession.
The enthusiasm is palpable as the pathologist described the "excitement of being there at the start of an investigation", of pulling on his sturdy dishwashing gloves and white coveralls to begin working.
It's a way, he said of his work, "to give voice to the dead one last time".
Boxho's observations have revealed the most unusual of circumstances for a person's demise -- like the 60-something woman who had her throat slashed by her son's pitbull terrier, that she had exceptionally gone to feed.
Another time he established how a farmer was trapped by a bull he did not see surge from the stable shadows. Multiple fractures to the torso and limbs showed how the hapless victim was crushed by a beast weighing in at 1.2 tonnes.
The idea of writing came to Boxho in 2021, triggered by the success of a post by Belgian channel RTBF, in which he recounted three striking anecdotes.
Encouraged, he decided to set down in writing more of the stories pulled from his more than three decades in forensics -- which until then had been shared only with students at the medical school where he teaches.
Published almost back-to-back, Philippe Boxho's three books have together sold some 740,000 copies © Nicolas TUCAT / AFP
It was an instant hit: published almost back-to-back, his three books have together sold some 740,000 copies, including almost 200,000 for the latest one released in late August, whose title translates as "Looking death in the face".
"It's extraordinary for a work of non-fiction," said a spokesperson for Kennes, a small Belgian publisher that was struggling to make ends meet until it struck gold with Boxho.
In France, his latest book is among the season's non-fiction bestsellers, with talks underway on an English edition of his work
It was an instant hit: published almost back-to-back, his three books have together sold some 740,000 copies, including almost 200,000 for the latest one released in late August, whose title translates as "Looking death in the face".
"It's extraordinary for a work of non-fiction," said a spokesperson for Kennes, a small Belgian publisher that was struggling to make ends meet until it struck gold with Boxho.
In France, his latest book is among the season's non-fiction bestsellers, with talks underway on an English edition of his work
.
'I respect the body'
At a book-signing event at a former mining site in Blegny, near Liege, Boxho drew a full house of enthusiasts.
"It's fascinating to hear him talk because he's passionate about what he does," said Marie Lou Collard, a political science student who was among the readers in the audience.
She came across Boxho via his videos posted on TikTok and YouTube, and sought out his essays to find out more.
In all of Boxho's real-life stories, dating back sometimes decades, the identities have been changed in keeping with medical confidentiality rules.
"I respect the body I have in front of me," Boxho explained to AFP. "It belongs to a person I don't know."
"What I laugh about is death and the ways that people die," he said. "It's a bit cynical, but that's the way I am. If you don't like it, don't read my books."
Many of his cases have involved women killed by their partners. Sometimes it is a parent killed by a child -- or almost killed, as in one extraordinary case Boxho shared with the crowd in Blegny.
Late one night, a woman entered her father's bedroom with a revolver, intent on murdering him. She fired the entire barrel at him, and left him for dead.
But the autopsy later showed the suspected murder victim was already dead when she shot him -- of a brain hemorrhage that occurred just moments earlier -- and the daughter was cleared as a result.
"Criminal law requires certainties," said Boxho, who argued that defending his profession, whose numbers have dwindled dramatically in recent years in Belgium, is also a way of ensuring better justice for all.
© 2024 AFP
'I respect the body'
At a book-signing event at a former mining site in Blegny, near Liege, Boxho drew a full house of enthusiasts.
"It's fascinating to hear him talk because he's passionate about what he does," said Marie Lou Collard, a political science student who was among the readers in the audience.
She came across Boxho via his videos posted on TikTok and YouTube, and sought out his essays to find out more.
In all of Boxho's real-life stories, dating back sometimes decades, the identities have been changed in keeping with medical confidentiality rules.
"I respect the body I have in front of me," Boxho explained to AFP. "It belongs to a person I don't know."
"What I laugh about is death and the ways that people die," he said. "It's a bit cynical, but that's the way I am. If you don't like it, don't read my books."
Many of his cases have involved women killed by their partners. Sometimes it is a parent killed by a child -- or almost killed, as in one extraordinary case Boxho shared with the crowd in Blegny.
Late one night, a woman entered her father's bedroom with a revolver, intent on murdering him. She fired the entire barrel at him, and left him for dead.
But the autopsy later showed the suspected murder victim was already dead when she shot him -- of a brain hemorrhage that occurred just moments earlier -- and the daughter was cleared as a result.
"Criminal law requires certainties," said Boxho, who argued that defending his profession, whose numbers have dwindled dramatically in recent years in Belgium, is also a way of ensuring better justice for all.
© 2024 AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment