Georgia under Frankfurt Book Fair spotlight
Georgian literature, art and culture took center stage at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October — the world’s leading literary event, through authors, publishers and artists who are set to present their work and meet audiences in the German city.
With the official status of the Guest of Honour of this year’s fair, the Georgian representation brought 70 authors from the country to the international event where over 250,000 visitors attended around 4,000 events.
The publishers and authors from the Guest of Honour from Georgia were showcased at the Georgian Pavilion space, set-up of which reflected the 33 letters of the Georgian alphabet, which served to introduce various sides of the country’s literature, art and culture. Titled Georgia — Made by Characters, the theme has found its visual expression in the design of the pavilion, with curved shapes of the letters outlining the space.
Cultural venues of Frankfurt also displayed exhibits highlighting Georgia, including a copy of a skull of the Dmanisi early hominids discovered in Georgia in the early 1990s, from the collections of the Senckenberg Museum.
Georgia had a presence almost everywhere at the fair. Authors, cultural institutions and artists from the country were involved in events and showcases introducing the Georgian art, science and culture to audiences throughout German-speaking countries, in the run-up to the fair. “[I]n the coming months, Georgia will be incredibly present not only at the book fair, but in Frankfurt as well: The Georgian culture programme includes no less than 16 exhibitions, offering the public unique access to Georgia and its rich art and culture scene and current affairs,” Head of the Guest of Honour Programme Simone Bühler said in the interview.
The events in the city included the film screenings and contemporary electronic music shows by resident artists from Tbilisi’s internationally renowned club Bassiani. Theatre troupes from Georgia took stage in Frankfurt during the pre-fair days, with the Shota Rustaveli and Marjanishvili state drama theatres performing at the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm in the city.
Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini participated in the opening ceremony of the pavilion with other guests.
“There are two reasons that are self-evident. The first one is that wherever Georgia is a guest of honour that is the right place for the European Union to be. And the second one is that wherever human rights are celebrated, promoted, protected, that is the right place for the EU to be. And we will continue to be there on the same page, which is this wonderful page we have together produced 70 years ago,” noted EU High Representative Federica Mogherini.
“We are honored to be the Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair which has a 500-year history. Participation in this prestigious and large scale event provides a unique opportunity for us to represent the ancient and rich Georgian culture as well as showcase the civilisational unity that connects Georgians and Europeans,” PM Bakhtadze said in his speech delivered at the opening ceremony.
Georgia was handed over the Guest of Honour status by France at the conclusion of the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair.