Guests of Honour and Bibliodiversity at International Book Fairs: 'Francfort en français' at Frankfurt Book Fair 2017 as a Model of Measuring Cultural Diversity in the Publishing Sector

Many international book fairs routinely invite foreign countries as Guests of Honour to present their literature and culture to a large audience. By this, they strive to encourage cultural diversity on the national as well as international book market, among other things. In the book industry, cultural diversity is referred to as "bibliodiversity". This term describes the capacity of the publishing industry to create diversity at all stages of the process of book production and distribution. The French economists Françoise Benhamou und Stéphanie Peltier published an instructive study on the measurability of cultural diversity in the publishing sector (Benhamou/Peltier 2011). They define bibliodiversity as a multidimensional concept and point out three characteristics of diversity: variety, balance and disparity. Benhamou and Peltier not only consider the possibilities for consumers to gain access to a large supply of publishing products, but also the effective consumption of these diverse offers, which they call supplied and consumed diversity. With reference to this economic model, this project analyses the effects of France's presentation as Guest of Honour at the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair for the literary transfer from the Francophone to the German-speaking literary field and therefore for bibliodiversity on the German-speaking book market.

France chose the motto Francfort en français to focus on French-language literature by authors from all over the world and to show the diversity of writing in French. The following aspects of France's presentation as Guest of Honour are determining factors in measuring its effects on bibliodiversity: the composition of the delegation of invited authors, the presentation of books in the pavilion regarding authors and publishing houses that are represented, as well as translation funding which French authorities have awarded to publishers in the run-up to the book fair (translation funding is regarded as to be a sustainable instrument to strengthen cultural diversity). Furthermore, this project reflects upon the relevance of Francfort en français for actors in the literary fields involved, that means actors from German-speaking area, France and francophone territories. This will also allow making statements on power relationships in the francophone literary field between its centre (France and Paris) and its periphery, which manifest within the scope of the project Francfort en français.

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France at Frankfurt Book Fair 1989

• Interview with Alain Lance, Director of Institut français Frankfurt am Main (1985-1991) and Responsible for the French presentation as Guest of Honour 1989, on March, 18^th 2018 in Paris.
• Interview with Pierre Monnet, Collaboration as volontaire au service national actif at Institut français Frankfurt am Main 1989 as well as to the French presentation as Guest of Honour 1989,  on April, 3^rd 2018 by telephone.
• Interview with Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel and Regina Keil-Sagawe, Translators from the French, on April, 6^th 2018 by telephone.
• Interview with Nicole Bary, Editor and literary agent, on April, 4^th 2018 by telephone.
• Interview with Micheline Bouchez, Programme coordinator at the French presentation as Guest of Honour 1989, on April, 13^th 2018 by telephone.
• Interview with Peter Weidhaas, former Director of Frankfurt Book Fair, on 3^rd July 2018 in Mainz (Matteo Anastasio, Fernando García Naharro, Luise Hertwig).
• Interview with Rosemarie Rauter, former Coordinator of Guest of Honour Programmes at Frankfurt Book Fair (1976-2004), on 13^th October 2017 at Frankfurt Book Fair (Marco Thomas Bosshard, Matteo Anastasio, Luise Hertwig).

France at Frankfurt Book Fair 2017

• Interview with Paul de Sinety, Commissaire général Francfort en français, on 15^th March 2018 in Paris.
• Interview with Louis Presset, Commissaire adjoint Francfort en français, on 16^th March 2018 in Paris.
• Interview with Ruedi Baur, Directeur du design Francfort en français, on 17^th March 2018 in Paris.
• Interview with Josselin Dufort, Chargé de projets culturels Francfort en français, on 4^th April 2018 by telephone.
• Interview with Capucine Valois, Chargée de projet Francfort en français, on 14^th March 2018 in Paris.
• Interview with Silvie Philippart de Foy, Attachée à la diffusion internationale des littératures belges francophones, Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles, on 19^th March 2018 at Livre Paris.
• Interview with Ludivine Jehin, Conservatrice, Centre national de littérature - Lëtzebuerger Literaturarchiv, on 14^th October 2017 at Frankfurt Book Fair.
• Interview with Angelika Salvisberg, Leiterin Literatur und Gesellschaft, Pro Helvetia, on 14^th October 2017 at Frankfurt Book Fair.
• Interview with Valérie Meylan, ASDEL, on 11^th October 2017 at Frankfurt Book Fair.
• Interview with Florence Maletrez, Foreign Rights Manager PLON - Presses de la Renaissance - EDI8, on 14^th October 2017 at Frankfurt Book Fair.
• Interview with Christine Bonnard Legrand, Foreign Rights Manager Libella Group, on 13^th October 2017 at Frankfurt Book Fair.
• Interview with Yannick Stiassny, Éditions Zoé, on 12^th October 2017 at Frankfurt Book Fair.
• Interview with Susanna Rieder, Susanna Rieder Verlag, on 21^st September 2017 in Munich.
• Interviews with Joscha Hekele und Florian Kniffka, Litprom, on 8^th January 2018 in Frankfurt and on 12^th February in Munich.
• Interview with Pierre Astier, Astier-Pécher Literary & Film Agency, on 17^th March 2018 at Livre Paris.
• Interview with Yannick Poirier, Librarie Tschann, on 15^th March 2018 in Paris.
• Interview with Jérôme Chevrier, Centre national du livre (CNL), on 23^rd March 2018 in Paris.
• Interview with Clémence Hedde, Alliance internationale des éditeurs indépendants, on 12^th March 2018 in Paris.
• Interview with Anne-Solange Noble and Barbara Angerer, Gallimard, on 22^nd March 2018 in Paris.
• Interview with Susanne Petzel, Buchhandlung Land in Sicht Frankfurt (Bookseller at Guest of Honour Pavilions at Frankfurt Book Fair), on 16^th March 2018 at Livre Paris.
• Interview with Heike Friesel, Goethe-Institut München, on 26^th April 2018 in Munich.
• Interview with Annette Wassermann, Wagenbach Verlag, on 14^th May 2018 in Berlin.
• Interview with Bettina Deininger, austernbank verlag, on 11^th June 2018 by telephone.
• Interview with Juergen Boos, Director of Frankfurt Book Fair, on 2^nd July 2018 in Hamburg (Marco Thomas Bosshard, Matteo Anastasio, Fernando García Naharro, Luise Hertwig).
• Interview with Peter Weidhaas, former Director of Frankfurt Book Fair, on 3^rd July 2018 in Mainz (Matteo Anastasio, Fernando García Naharro, Luise Hertwig).
• Interview with Simone Bühler, Coordinator of Guest of Honour Porgrammes at Frankfurt Book Fair, on 4^th July 2018 in Frankfurt (Matteo Anastasio, Fernando García Naharro, Luise Hertwig).
• Interview with Donata Kinzelbach, Donata Kinzelbach Verlag, on 5^th July 2018 in Mainz.
• Written interview with Daniel Beskos, mairisch Verlag, in July 2018.
• Written interview with Patricia Moukarzel, Tamyras Éditions, in July 2018.
• Interview with Elisabeth Daldoul, Éditions Elyzad, on 25^th July 2018 by telephone.