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454 new publications from and about Flanders and the Netherlands, and numerous e

Frankfurt, 27 September 2016 – The Guest of Honour at this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse is a good example of how to overcome boundaries and look together at things we have in common. Because this year, the Guest of Honour is not a single country, but a language and cultural area. Just how actively and successfully Flanders and the Netherlands have been cooperating can be seen in the exceptionally large number of 454 new book releases, spanning many genres: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children’s and young adult literature, comics and graphic novels. By comparison, in recent years an average of 85 new translations were published each year in the German-speaking countries.

An extensive literary and cultural programme will take place during the Frankfurter Buchmesse (19 – 23 October 2016), involving around 70 Flemish and Dutch writers of all genres. Among other things, visitors can expect to see virtual reality presentations, theatre and film festivals, literary talks in front of large audiences, and art, design and architecture exhibitions. Some of these events will take place at the exhibition site, in the 2,300 square meter-large Guest of Honour Pavilion (Forum, Level 1), while others will be in the city of Frankfurt. The artistic director of the Guest of Honour presentation is the Flemish author of children’s and young adult books, Bart Moeyaert.

In the pavilion, which has been specially designed for the Guest of Honour, a varied programme will run from 9.30 am to 7.00 pm, bringing together 10 different event formats. Here is just a selection: using virtual reality, visitors can step inside the Barcelona Pavilion which Mies van der Rohe built for the world exhibition in the Catalonian capital, in 1929; In the cinema, cineastes can watch a wide range of films from and about Flanders and the Netherlands, and be inspired by the stories and images; in the atelier, co-editors Joost Swarte and Randall Casaer will oversee the production of “Parade” magazine, with two issues each day; and in the exhibition “Books on... Flanders and the Netherlands”, you can see titles about the Guest of Honour form all around the world.

For a six-week period, the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm will host an exciting performing arts festival. It will also open its doors for the Guest of Honour Café during the days of the Book Fair. The MMK (Museum für Moderne Kunst) has three guest artists on show: Fiona Tan (MMK1), Willem de Rooij (MMK2) and Laure Prouvost (MMK3). Likewise, the Schauspiel Frankfurt, the Städel Museum, the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, die basis, the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) and the Deutsches Filminstitut will all present artists from Flanders and the Netherlands – some more famous, some less so. And on the initiative of the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Flemish Literature Fund, more than 400 events will also take place across Germany under the umbrella of the Guest of Honour appearance. For more information: www.frankfurt2016.com

About the Frankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with 7,100 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, around 275,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and approximately 10,000 accredited journalists – including 2,000 bloggers - in attendance. It also gathers key players from other media, including the film and games industries. Since 1976, the Book Fair has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. The Frankfurt Book Fair organises the participation of German publishers at around 20 international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. With its Business Club, the Frankfurt Book Fair offers essential services and an ideal setting for the activities of publishers, entrepreneurs, pioneers, experts and visionaries. The Frankfurt Book Fair is a subsidiary of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. www.book-fair.com

Contact for the media:
Press & Corporate Communications, Frankfurt Book Fair
Katja Böhne, Vice President Marketing & Communications, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-138, press@book-fair.com
Jördis Hille, PR Manager, Tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-271, hille@book-fair.com
> Press information online >www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-releases
> Photos in print quality >www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-material