The Leipzig Book Fair (eastern Germany) announced this Wednesday that it has canceled its edition this year, with which the exhibition will complete its third year of pause forced by the pandemic.
The organization explained that the cancellation of the presence of many publishers, given the current situation of the pandemic, had meant that the Fair could not be held in the desired dimensions.
According to press reports in recent days, several large publishing groups, such as Oetinger or Penguin Randomhouse, they had canceled their presence in Leipzig.
The editorials argued that, due to the advancement of the omicron variant, which has led to record levels of infections and incidence in Germany, it is impossible to properly plan the presence in Leipzig due to possible problems of staff shortages.
This year there will not be a digital version of the Fair either since, due to the late cancellation, there will be no time to prepare it, according to the organizers.
But nevertheless, yes, the prizes that are usually announced during the fair will be awarded. The Leipzig Prize for European Understanding will be awarded on March 16 and the Leipzig Fair Prize, in various categories, on March 17.
The exhibition would have been held between March 17 and 20. The Leipzig Fair is often regarded as one of the gateways to the German market for literature from Eastern Europe.
In addition, in some respects it is also an appetizer of the Frankfurt Fair, which is held in the fall and is considered the world’s largest platform for copyright trading.
Normally the guest of honor in Frankfurt, which this year is Spain, also has a significant presence in Leipzig.
Other parallel contests, such as the Comic Fair or the Old Book Fair, have also been canceled.
The German Booksellers Association described the cancellation of the Leipzig Fair for the third consecutive year as a blow to the sector.
Despite the pandemic, the Leipzig Fair had set its completion on the usual dates in March.
Last year it had projected its realization in May, which was also not possible, and in 2020 it was one of the first major fairs in Germany that had to be canceled.
The Frankfurt Fair, after not being held in 2020, was held in 2021 in a reduced version. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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