Divisions at the 75th Frankfurt Book Fair

Last week Jonny Geller, chief executive of the literary agency Curtis Brown, wrote a moving piece for The Bookseller about his and other Jewish people’s experiences working in the business in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ murderous attack on Israel. On Twitter, linking to the piece, he wrote: “I hope the publishing community can come together in terrible times.”

On the eve of the 75th Frankfurt Book Fair, there is not much evidence of that. A number of Arab groups and associations from Muslim majority nations have pulled their presence from the fair citing FBF’s one-sided statement on the events of the past week, and its decision to foreground Jewish and Israeli voices. It followed, too, the cancellation of a prize ceremony for Palestinian writer Adania Shibli, about which many have rightly raised concern.

The decision to postpone the celebration of Shibli was unquestionably a bad one. Frankfurt said this was organiser Litprom’s choice, but the fair’s director Juergen Boos is also president of Litprom, and it unlikely the move was made without wider discussion. Either way, Frankfurt took the blame and continues to be cited in open letters. If it felt strongly it should either have arranged for the celebration to continue or quickly distanced itself from the decision. Instead, it has allowed its much vaunted principles of free speech to be damaged.

The Indonesian Publishers Association said it “rejects the Frankfurt Book Fair’s stance of supporting and giving a wider stage to Israel at this year’s exhibition while denying the Palestinian people’s right to independence”

The bigger row and the reason for the cancellations is, however, the fair’s initial statement following the Hamas attack. The gist: "Terror, however, can never be allowed to win, which is why we want to make Jewish and Israeli voices especially visible at the book fair and create additional time for these voices on our stages." A revised version referenced Palestine; the first iteration did not.

Sharjah’s chair Bodour Al Qasimi, also the immediate past president of International Publishers Association, cited the fair’s choice "to cancel the voice of an entire demographic by fully supporting Israel, which effectively leaves no space for dialogue and cultural exchange”. Mohammad Rashad of the Arab Publishers Association questioned "the biased and unjust stance towards the tragic events in the region".

The Indonesian Publishers Association said it “rejects the Frankfurt Book Fair’s stance of supporting and giving a wider stage to Israel at this year’s exhibition while denying the Palestinian people’s right to independence”. The Malaysian Book Publishers Association expressed its “deepest disappointment with the recent statement by the organisers of the Frankfurt Book Fair, who have taken sides in a war that has caused countless civilian casualties for many years".

In his defence, Boos could do worse than cite Geller, who wrote: "It is perfectly possible to empathise with the Jewish community here and with Israeli publishers and hold strong views about Palestinian rights of self-determination. The two are not related. . ."

Those associations who have pulled out could do worse than re-read those words too. As Rashad said relationships between publishers of different regions and Frankfurt have been built up over many decades: Sharjah in particular has been an active participant in book fairs such as Frankfurt and London for a decade and more, as well as growing its own fair (the 42nd Sharjah International Book Fair takes place in early November). It is shame to see such connections thrown aside at a moment, when, to echo Al Qasimi, it is the war that divides us, it should be the books that bring us together.

It is likely that once the fair starts, such divisions will be put aside as business becomes a priority for those travelling to Frankfurt. The fair is no stranger to controversy, its longevity a testament to its steadfastness in the face of such eruptions. What we cannot see are the behind the scenes pressures on both parties and the conversations no doubt taking place between them. Either way, if this was a moment for the international book business to stand up and come together, it has failed.