The moment you hear your neighbors calling out after you: “Have a safe journey, Milenche, we’ll be waiting for you to come back,” you realize that you’ve embarked on a journey you don’t know. The Leipzig Book Fair, which I admit I’ve never visited, is exactly such a journey for me. I had heard that this is one of the fairs described with the most superlatives, and there’s definitely (personal opinion) reason for that. This is the most beautiful, most German, most artistic, and freest forum compared to Frankfurt, Bologna, and London, and I’ll say in advance that this is the only comparison I’ll allow myself to make for this event. That’s where the similarities, or rather the differences, end. I’ll state upfront that we won’t be talking about a Bulgarian stand (thank God), just as we won’t be talking about a Bulgarian stand in this year’s Bologna. Enough, I’ve said enough.
The fair is open to anyone who wants to buy a ticket for €19 per day. Books are sold here (something we don't see at other international fairs), along with copyrights and contracts. Perhaps this is one of the main reasons why mainly German or German-speaking visitors gather to view and become part of the cultural program. There is no official opening, as each of the five halls has several stages of the Leipziger Buchmesse itself, which has its own program, and the catalog of events is more than 1,000 pages. You understand yourself that one has neither the means nor the interest to shine everywhere. A small trick and self-criticism in this case is that everything is in German, which provoked me to pull out of the abyss of my consciousness the little German that I never learned in order to manage to find the press center and the correct parking lot (behind the brücke).
The Leipzig Book Fair became one of the largest in 1632, surpassing even the one in Frankfurt. After the Second World War, the city entered the territory of the GDR, which completely changed the status of the book fair. Nevertheless, the Leipziger Buchmesse played an important role in the development of the publishing market and book aesthetics in the next 45 years, but unfortunately it remained encapsulated within the framework of the Eastern Bloc and local politics. Even in the Bulgarian history of illustration, this fair and the books that are presented in the annual exhibition are often talked about. After the unification of Germany (1990), its location was moved from the city center to the current business building, which also attracts an international audience. And I will not hide my surprise when I saw what crowds of children of all ages were lining up on the first day of the security check. The younger ones were obviously organized by the schools, but the teen wave walked around in small groups on their own and actively rummaged through the books. I also don't underestimate the fact that Manga Comic Con (hall #1) is also held alongside the books, which is a completely different side of the event and definitely contributes with its own audience.
As for the statistics – in 2018, there were over 197,000 visitors, and around 2,635 exhibitors. And there is literally a lot here. I'll just outline a few aspects, I'll focus on some of them in the coming days when I get a better sense of the situation. The children's books are entirely by German publishers and are separated into a separate hall (№2), which also has children's play centers, a bookstore, a playground and various events. The antiques are in hall #3, and for me this was the most interesting part of everything, I managed to get lost there and spend my entire first day. Hall #4 is dedicated to various scientific activities and international participants. Here I found the familiar stands of Switzerland, Austria, Italy, China, Thailand, Serbia, Slovenia and a few more. And the last hall – No. 5, included a variety of printed publications such as calendars, CDs and vinyls, maps, newspapers, magazines and everything that goes through a printing house.
Text and photos: Milena Radeva
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