The Reading Virus

In Frankfurt, in Edinburgh, all across the world, the book publishing industry receives serious attention. In Indonesia, we just sit back and lag far behind, although the Indonesian literary scene seems to be experiencing a revival. Why has the world of Indonesian books always been looked down upon, when bookstores and book exhibitions are always crowded with customers? Why are books so important in the West and in countries such as India, Malaysia, and the Philippines? Are Indonesians so shallow? TEMPO reports on book festivals in Jakarta, Frankfurt and Edinburgh.

November 19, 2002

Around 14,000 publishers in one building on a 200-hectare plot of land. They're selling 400,000 book titles. One hundred thousand of these are the best books published within the past year.

This big book bash is the Frankfurt Book Fair 2002, held from October 9-14 in Frankfurt, Germany. At least 300,000 international visitors, including 10,000 reporters from 80 countries, filled the halls, carried away by the event's festivities.

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