On the way to Frankfurt in October

My wife Neni Sta. Romana Cruz has nothing but Frankfurt on her mind these days. This is her latest account:

As we mark the countdown to the Philippines as Guest of Honor (GOH) at Frankfurter Buchmesse in October this year, we are well on our way, especially this month. With a few necessary stops…

Two weeks ago, Kristian Cordero, co-chair of the GOH Translation Committee of the National Book Development Board, initiated a literary event at the Philippine embassy in Rome in close collaboration with Ambassador Neal Imperial and his staff. It featured readings of poems by National Artists Virgilio Almario and Jimmy Abad which have been translated to Italian.  Ambassador Imperial is himself a writer and is currently pushing for the Italian translation of other Philippine classics and even the Albanian translation of “Florante at Laura.” Albania is within his diplomatic turf.

A delegation with two authors whose works have German editions – fictionist Daryll Delgado and graphic novelist J. Philip Ignacio – is holding a press conference in Berlin as a preview of the Leipziger Buchmesse at the end of the month. There will be a Booksellers event and the opportunity for Karina Bolasco, Paolo Herras and Cordero to discuss the Philippine publishing industry. Maria Christina Pangan-Cagalingan of the GoH Translation Committee will also provide necessary insights. The Philippine embassy in Berlin led by Ambassador Irene Susan Natividad is hosting and coordinating the event.

Something was in Heidelberg too, with an art exhibit curated by Patrick Flores who is associated with the Venice Biennale and the National Art Gallery of Singapore. “Oculus” featuring works by Stephanie Misa and Joscha Steffens pays tribute to Jose Rizal and his influence on their art.

The Leipziger Buchmesse is said to be the most important get-together in the spring for the book and media industry, second only in size to the Frankfurter Buchmesse. Unlike the October rights fair, this is open to the public for sales for the fair’s entire duration from March 27 to 30. The city will host a simultaneous Manga-Comic-Con and the Leipzig liest (Leipzig reads) reading festival.

Leipzig is a city that intrigues as it is the eighth largest city in Germany. Its name is said to be a Slavic term meaning a place of linden trees.

After the Second World War and during the period of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Leipzig continued as a major urban center in East Germany. But overall, because of isolation behind the Iron Curtain, its cultural and economic importance declined. It houses one of the oldest universities in Europe, Leipzig University. Its central railway terminus Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is considered Europe’s largest railway station.

Leipzig has long been known as a major center for music, including classical and modern dark wave. The St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig, a boys’ choir, was founded in 1212. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, established in 1743, is one of the oldest symphony orchestras in the world. Several well-known composers lived and worked in Leipzig, including Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn and Richard Wagner. The Oper Leipzig, one of the most prominent opera houses in Germany, was founded in 1693. The city has been gentrified and is considered a second Berlin today.

It is in this historic city where the GOH team will be for the Leipziger Buchmesse. Our participation paves the way for GOH a few months from now.

Our delegation of authors – all with German editions – is an impressive roster. This includes Stephanie Coo, Kristian Cordero, Daryll Delgado, Renren Galeno, Paolo Herras, Jay Ignacio, Jessica Zafra and translators Annette Hug and Monica Frölich. They are scheduled for various talks on the Buchmesse grounds and for book signings at the country stand, which will proudly carry German editions of Philippine books and English editions of books in the process of translation.

Two German editions we are eagerly anticipating are new translations of Rizal’s two novels which have revolutionized Philippine history. Insel/Verlag, today Suhrkamp Verlag, is working on an updated translation of the “Noli,” with a foreword by scholar and professor Filomeno Aguilar Jr. who has a forthcoming book on Rizal. The “Fili” is undergoing translation with Mitteldeutscher Verlag with a foreword by another distinguished scholar, Caroline Hau.

But even as we celebrate these German translations and the interest of German publishing houses in Philippine literature, the question that begs to be answered is, how many of us have read the original works in English or in the original regional language?

After Leipzig, there is the Bologna Children’s Book Fair as Leipzig Buchmesse ends. Again, the country will be represented by authors, illustrators and publishers.

All these is made possible only through the persistence and tireless efforts of project visionary Sen. Loren Legarda who first dared to dream big – for the Philippine publishing industry to make its presence yearly at the Frankfurter Buchmesse and to be the second ASEAN country to be selected as Guest of Honor in October 2025. It would be 10 years since Indonesia was similarly honored in 2015. As this is a big event for the country, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the National Book Development Board (NBDB), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of Senator Legarda have been working in tight collaboration.

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Email: elfrencruz@gmail.com