Juergen Boos, the long-serving Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, will visit the Helsinki Book Fair at the invitation of FILI – Finnish Literature Exchange. Boos will also take part in the fair’s programme, discussing books that can change the world on Friday, 23 October, from 2:30 to 3:00 pm on the Töölönlahti Stage.
The topic is particularly close to Boos’s heart. Having led the world’s largest international publishing industry event for 21 years, he has had a unique vantage point from which to observe how literature, books and literacy can challenge established ways of thinking.
“Literature can open new doors. Books allow us to see the world through someone else’s eyes and to look at our own lives from a new perspective,” says Boos.
The Helsinki Book Fair will also welcome no fewer than 60 international translators of Finnish literature, who will participate in FILI’s fellowship programme and appear in discussions on the fair’s stages.
A Long-Standing Partnership with Finnish Literature
Juergen Boos has followed the development of Finnish literature and its international reach for many years. Finland was the Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2014, marking a major milestone in the internationalisation of Finnish literature.
“Finland’s Guest of Honour programme demonstrated the international impact literature can have when publishing professionals, publishers, authors and translators work together across language barriers. Since then, the diverse voices of Finnish literature have reached an ever-growing readership around the world.”
Tiia Strandén, Director of FILI – Finnish Literature Exchange, emphasises the importance of the Frankfurt Book Fair, under Boos’s leadership, as a long-standing partner for FILI and Finnish literature.
“During Finland’s Guest of Honour project, the number of Finnish literary works translated and published in German-speaking Europe multiplied. More than 100 German translations were published in 2014 alone.”
The Frankfurt Book Fair, held earlier in October, attracted a total of 236,000 visitors from 137 countries this year. This year’s event was Boos’s last as Director, with Joachim Kaufmann taking over the role.
“It is a great pleasure for the Helsinki Book Fair to welcome Juergen Boos as our guest in this special year, as we celebrate the conclusion of his remarkable tenure at the helm of the world’s largest book fair. His contribution to the development of the international network of book fairs has been significant. The Helsinki Book Fair, which has grown into the largest literary event in the Nordic countries, is one of Europe’s finest examples of this development. It truly demonstrates the appeal and importance of literature,” says Ville Blåfield, Programme Director of the Helsinki Book Fair.
“Under Boos’s leadership, the Frankfurt Book Fair has also become an important forum for public debate on societal issues. In this respect, too, we are delighted to follow in the footsteps of the world’s leading book fair,” Blåfield adds.