Press conference at the Frankfurt Book Fair
Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Minister of Education, Science and Culture, was among those who spoke at a Sagenhaftes Island press conference at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Photo: Kristinn Ingvarsson“Icelanders are delighted that the Frankfurt Book Fair has invited us to appear as its Guest of Honour in 2011,” said Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Minister of Education, Science and Culture, at a press conference given by Sagenhaftes Island on Thursday.
Iceland will stage a series of literature and culture-related events around the Guest of Honour appearance, and an outline of the upcoming schedule was given at the conference. Katrín Jakobsdóttir emphasized that the appearance was extremely important to Icelandic culture and its promotion, and pointed out that the state's contribution to the book fair had not been cut during the recession.
The high point of Iceland's appearance at the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair will be the presentation of a new, complete German translation of the Icelandic sagas. The works will be published by the German publishing house S. Fischer, with the support of the Arts Foundation of North Rhine-Westphalia. The new edition will make these unique works of world literature accessible to a vast number of new readers.
In her speech, Katrín Jakobsdóttir said that Icelandic literature was in bloom today – not least crime fiction, and that Icelandic thrillers were now an internationally recognized sub-genre, known in Germany as Islandskrimis. Deals have been struck to publish roughly a hundred Icelandic books in Germany in 2011.
Juergen Boos, director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, also spoke at the conference. “Globally, Iceland is one of the smallest markets for literature,” said Boos. “Nevertheless, it publishes an incredible number of titles,” said Boos.
Halldór Guðmundsson, director of Sagenhaftes Island – along with Thomas Böhm, project manager for literatur in Germany, and Matthias Wagner K, curator for the arts- and cultural program – spoke of the project's current events, and what to expect next year. In 2011, Sagenhaftes Island will present a series of readings and other events around Germany, in collaboration with various literature festivals, libraries and commercial establishments.
Download the Press Map here.
Download the Sjóns text here.