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Frankfurt / Paris, 25.01.2016 - France’s appearance as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2017 begins at the same time as Joachim Gauck visits the French capital. Furthermore, it is a first highlight of the French cultural year 2017. Together with the commissariat of „Francfort en français / Frankfurt auf Französisch“ a delegation from Germany will attend the conferment of an honorary doctorate upon the president at Sorbonne University and the following reception at the Académie française. The President of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, Juergen Boos will participate in the festivities as well as Paul de Sinety, the chairman of “Francfort en français / Frankfurt auf Französisch”.

One of the main components of the journey will be the exchange between the German delegation and experts of francophone literature and culture, discussions with the team of “Francfort en français / Frankfurt auf Französisch” and their literary consultants, the attendance of several cultural events and visits to renowned cultural institutions. An intense contact between the delegation and the cultural producers on-the-spot will be established.

Juergen Boos: „The friendship between Germany and France is gaining more and more weight within Europe. The depth of this relationship was shown when the renowned Paris-Sorbonne University awarded an honorary doctorate to German President Joachim Gauck. It is a long-established fact that French literature can come from many places around the world. As the Guest of Honour, France will trace the global identity of the French language and thereby initiate a dialogue of cultural diversity.”

Paul de Sinety: “The trip to Paris, one of the last official visits by German President Gauck, to the University of Sorbonne and the Académie française, is a major symbol: books are indeed national treasures of culture of both our countries. And there is a challenge to be met by the youth of these two countries concerning a new European humanism, based on this joint culture. France’s appearance as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2017 is going to be a first step towards this path.”

France’s appearance as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse (11th to 15th October 2017), is going to be the highlight of the French cultural year all over Germany, with a rich and interdisciplinary program of cultural events organized by the Institut français Germany. In 2017 indeed, more than 300 events will be labelled “Francfort en français”, associating theater, contemporary music, visual arts, cinema, literary meetings and 250 French speaking artists and authors will travel all over the country. This cultural year will be marked by great moments before the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2017: especially the LitCologne, the cooperation between the Quai du Polar of Lyon and the Leipzig Book Fair, as well as the Authors’ Tour of Germany, starting with the Tour de France in Düsseldorf.

About the Frankfurter Buchmesse
The Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with 7,100 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, around 278,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and approximately 10,000 accredited journalists and bloggers - in attendance. It also gathers key players from other media, including the film and games industries. Since 1976, the Frankfurter Buchmesse has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. The Frankfurter Buchmesse 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 Frankfurter Buchmesse offers essential services and an ideal setting for the activities of publishers, entrepreneurs, pioneers, experts and visionaries. The Frankfurter Buchmesse is a subsidiary company of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association.

For more information:
http://www.institutfrancais.com/fr
http://www.francfort2017.com/francfort-en-francais.html
https://www.buchmesse.de
http://www.buchcontact.de

Media contacts:

Germany & international:
Press team „Francfort en français / Frankfurt auf Französisch"
Murielle Rousseau, Charlot Uhrig
BUCH CONTACT Rosastraße 21, 79098 Freiburg
& BUCH CONTACT Karl-Heinrich-Ulrichs-Str. 20c, 10785 Berlin
Tel.: 0049 (0) 761 29 60 4-0, E-Mail: buchcontact@buchcontact.de
www.buchcontact.de

France:
Institut français
Anne-France Laugel
Communications Manager „Francfort en français / Frankfurt auf Französisch"
annefrance.laugel@institutfrancais.com

Frankfurter Buchmesse:
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