Day 1 Official of the Frankfurt Book Fair is a jam-packed affair as many many people speaking many many languages duck and dive their way through negotiations and deals in Halle 8, where the NZ Publishers Association has its stand. The morning starts with an official breakfast and welcome where Chris Finlayson congratulates those who pulled off the feat of bringing it altogether. It was a feat that included new carpet being laid on the stand at some unearthly hour the previous night. There is also lots of chatter about Bill English’s speech the night before – some of it positive, some of it not so much.
Day 1 Official also sees the launch of the writers’ programme in the Pavilion. The first event is a panel (Jenny Bornholdt, Joy Cowley and Dylan Horrocks) discussing the merits of the School Journal and how it kick-started, more or less single-handedly, New Zealand’s writing and illustration for children. A hothouse for children’s literature, the School Journal ran literary boot camps and nurtured burgeoning talent at a time when there were no creative writing courses. Even today it’s one of the few literary magazines in New Zealand (the only one?) that commissions work from writers. There is something rather moving about being reminded of the humble origins of some of New Zealand’s most brilliant children’s writers and illustrators.
The theme continues in the next event, with Brian Falkner and Kate De Goldi discussing fiction for young adults. Other sessions during the day cover such diverse subjects as narrative in New Zealand fiction, fantastical fiction and the seduction of research.
The panel discussion venue is fluid: events flow directly from one to the next; writers hop on and off the stage; the sessions are generally bite-sized; audiences come and go at random moments. This isn’t your usual literature festival – it’s essentially a rights fair, so everything is managed a bit differently.
One writer was particularly pleased when an audience member noted their surprise at the absence of hobbits from her talk. Perhaps something is happening to change how New Zealand is seen in the world.
Bookish 