News

In 2013 Brazil will be the Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

As announced by the Book Fair organisers, the Minister of Culture Juca Ferreira and the Book Fair’s Director Jürgen Boos signed the resulting declaration of intent in Brasilia, thus making Brazil for the second time (the first was in 1994) the guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The country’s presence will involve a major contribution both to intercultural relations and to the book trade between other countries and Brazil, the world’s fifth-largest country and Latin America’s biggest in terms of population.

Over recent years Brazilian authors - with the exception of best-sellers such as Jorge Amado and Pablo Coelho - have been translated very little into other languages. Brazil’s presence at Frankfurt will surely help to remedy that situation.

Indeed, it has been noticeable for some time now that the rights-sale business has been developing very positively among Brazilian publishing houses, in terms both of invoicing and professionalism.

This positive development has been particularly marked in the children’s and young people’s book market. The significant work and commitment put in by President Lula’s government with its programme to promote reading throughout the country has surely been one of the driving forces behind that development.

Argentina is to be this year’s guest of honour during the next Frankfurt Book Fair, to be held from 6 to 10 October. In 2011 it will be Iceland and in 2014 Finland. The country to receive homage in 2012 is yet to be decided.

Link: Brazil Blog | Buchmesse Frankfurt