The publishing world's biggest annual event, the Frankfurt International Book Fair, was held Oct. 4-8 this year. It highlighted the plight of writers and journalists in China and other repressive countries in which they are not only subjected to state censorship but, in many cases, fear for their lives.
As the Taiwanese pavilion at the fair was geared toward demonstrating, Taiwan's writers enjoy freedom of speech, which is vital for the sustenance and development of democratic ideals and values. The opposite is true about China. The pavilions of the two countries and systems could not have been more different: There was a relaxed and somewhat liberated atmosphere at the Taiwanese pavilion, while the one from China showed at times signs of tension among some of the staff members manning booths.
Events such as the Frankfurt International Book Fair are more than just a venue for the publishing world to conduct business: They are also a platform for authors and journalists to voice their dissatisfaction with systems that are repressive by nature and which trample on the rights of their subjects.
The recent conviction of two journalists in China--one a researcher for The New York Times and the other the chief China correspondent for The Straits Times of Singapore--have shocked many in the West, as have the strict controls imposed on the flow of even innocuous information out of China, the continued repression of Tibetans and other ethnic minorities and the vague definition of the term "state secrets," allowing the government to run roughshod over whomever it pleases.
The international writers organization called PEN criticized China and other repressive countries for what it described as the "open persecution" of critical writers. According to the German chapter of PEN, 19 writers had been killed during the first half of 2006 worldwide, while 12 had disappeared. One hundred ninety-four authors were facing harassment and arrest, while 227 were being tried in courts around the world.
The campaign to support persecuted writers and journalists will continue to be an important part of PEN's work, according to the group's secretary general, Wilfried Schoeller. Karin Clark, the chairperson of a PEN committee on writers in prison, reported on the increasing repression in China in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympic Games. She had hoped that China would show greater liberalization precisely because of the Games, but that seems not to be the case.
She revealed that more than 30 dissidents had been jailed in China because of comments or articles written on the Internet. The journalist Shi Tao, for example, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment last year for "leaking state secrets." His crime: transmitting via e-mail the media guidelines for coverage of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre as promulgated by the communist authorities. Clark was severely critical of the e-mail provider Yahoo! for allegedly helping the Chinese authorities make the arrest and providing them with information about the author and his personal computer.
Not surprisingly, the presence of Nobel Laureate Gao Xingjian at the Taiwanese pavilion was a source of great interest not only for those visitors interested in Chinese literature but also for those generally interested in freedom of expression. Another attraction of the Taiwanese pavilion was a Chinese calligraphy demonstration by acclaimed Taiwanese author Chan Ta-chun. Both Gao and Chan engaged in a dialogue on the topic of Chinese outside of China, and on the concerns and focus of contemporary authors who write in Chinese. This proved to be a very stimulating intellectual exchange for the listeners.
Huang Pao-ping, executive director of the Taipei Book Fair Foundation which organized Taiwan's participation at the Frankfurt show, underscored the point that Taiwan is a place where writers and intellectuals can express their thoughts freely and without fear. Huang said that a speech delivered at the Frankfurt show by Gao, who actually lives in Paris, was well received. "He received a warm welcome from the audience. His works in Chinese can be obtained in Taiwan and have been translated into German, French and English," she said.
There were 10 Taiwanese exhibitors physically present under the aegis of the TBFF, which represented another 60 exhibitors that could not make it to the fair. Huang's assessment was that the fair had been beneficial for Taiwanese exhibitors. Some visitors wanted to know more about copyright sales, while others were interested in buying copyrights.
"The fair has been a good mix of buyers and sellers. We are displaying here all kinds of literature ranging from classical books through modern writing to children's books, including comics," she added.
According to the TBFF, Taiwan has emerged as a source of original literary creativity coupled with professionalism on the part of publishers. Taiwan presented its authors, illustrators, cartoonists and their works, as well as its representative publishers and characteristic publications.
The TBFF representatives at the fair also harped on two attributes that make Taiwan an attractive publishing venue. First and foremost, Taiwan offers the freedom to publish, particularly for the Chinese literary market. It was a bold initiative on the part of the TBFF to create a dedicated section at the pavilion for books that are banned in China, including the works of Gao. "Taiwan serves as a platform for free, creative writing for all Chinese writers around the globe," said Huang.
The second factor that makes Taiwan an attractive venue is the vitality of its publishing market despite its small population of only 23 million. "Taiwan has a splendid and open publishing environment where immeasurable enthusiasm and vitality are powered by unlimited creativity," Huang said.
What surprised many visitors--including many of the staff members manning booths in the Chinese pavilion, judging by their furtive, curious glances when passing by each Taiwanese booth--was the fact that literature formed the bulk of the original works on display.
Yuvia Hsiang, foreign rights director of Taipei's Cube Press, was upbeat about the company's participation at the show. "Cube Press is part of the Cite Publishing Group, which is Taiwan's leading player in the field of publishing," she said. "This is the third time we are at the show though the number of visitors has become less because of the proliferation of book fairs worldwide. However, this fair is the biggest of its kind, and it is important for Taiwanese publishers to be present here."
Cube Press was exhibiting cookbooks, art and design books, books on handicrafts and a range of other subjects. "Despite the drop in the number of visitors, we are actually seeing more business. We have received good business inquiries," she said.
But Hsiang also talked about competition from China where the government provides huge subsidies to publishers, while Taiwanese publishers are "very much on their own." Because of its huge size, China's market was attracting Westerners who were keen to sell their rights in that country.
She noticed that some of the foreigners coming to the Taiwanese pavilion could not understand the handouts in the Chinese language, and she urged Taiwanese publishers to provide full translations of their works and not just a one-page English synopsis of each book. "Don't expect foreigners to understand Mandarin. You have to provide English translations of books at such fairs. And also, do some serious marketing efforts," was her advice to Taiwanese publishers participating in such shows.
Some Taiwanese publishers were also interested in entering new markets. Many were eyeing India which, because of its huge size, large publishing base and high literacy rate, offers all the trappings of a dynamic market.
India was the partner country at this year's book fair in Frankfurt, with more than 200 exhibitors displaying a variety of books, comics and other products. Indian publishers organized a number of workshops, seminars and other events at the fair, for which large crowds turned out. Participants included renowned authors, intellectuals and lyricists. Indeed, one theme that weighed heavily at the fair was the fact that Bollywood movies are taking Germany by storm.
Taiwanese publishers could benefit by forming business alliances with their Indian counterparts, who are always looking for foreign titles for translation into Indian languages, and vice versa. A strategic marketing approach to India's publishing sector would help Taiwanese publishers find a long-term and viable partnership with Indian counterparts.
Copyright 2006 by Manik Mehta