“Superimposing cultural and political viewpoints, revealing their differences and the things they have in common and, above all, organising the creative reinterpretation at the points of crossover – these are the most important tasks of the Frankfurter Buchmesse. As the biggest international trade fair for content, the Frankfurter Buchmesse is the place where the complexity of an increasingly networked world most clearly exhibits its fragmentary, but also highly diverse, nature,” said Juergen Boos at the opening press conference.

“This curiosity, the ongoing search for a new perspective on things (the bigger picture) is personified in our special guest, the artist David Hockney,” he added. Hockney is here to open the THE ARTS+, a new space at the Frankfurt Book Fair dedicated to networking and trade in creative content.

This year’s Fair will provide a platform for authors such as Timothy Garton Ash, Mathias Énard, Ian Kershaw, Herfried Münkler, Boualem Sansal and Elif Shafak, who are looking for answers to the urgent political and social questions of today. Migration and integration as challenges facing Western Europe; the impact of European history on the present-day; the serious threats to freedoms of speech and opinion in many countries; the relationship between Europe and the predominantly Islamic regions: these are just some of the topics that will be addressed during the five days at the ‘Weltempfang’, the cultural-political stage of the Fair.

“These authors spend years of their lives examining the phenomena of our age and explaining particular global events,” Boos said. “Their works help us to make sense of the contemporary world. The Fair supports authors, publishers and journalists in their work by establishing structures and networks, and giving them a platform.”

Also at the opening press conference was Heinrich Riethmüller, president of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. He said, “In our times of division, dissent and confrontation, it is important for the book and media industry to perform its role. Now, more than ever, society needs strong and independent communicators of ideas, who are able to question and analyse the information and events. Books underpin the spread of knowledge, stories and experiences. Never have book people and cultural professionals been more important than they are today.”

Besides the political and societal debates, and the latest industry issues such as copyright reform, the 68th Frankfurt Book Fair will shine a spotlight on art and artists. “More intensively than ever before, we’ll be addressing the question of how creative people – the originators of intellectual property – can live from their work,” said Boos.

In total, more than 7,100 exhibitors from more than 100 countries are expected at the 68th Frankfurt Book Fair, from 19 to 23 October 2016. This year’s Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg) has announced record attendance figures: over 700 agents and scouts will be in Frankfurt, representing 300 literary agencies from 33 countries. The children’s and young adult book segment is a growing area for the Fair, as it is in book markets around the world. For this reason, a new international area has been created covering the hall-levels 5.1 and 6.1. Here, around 300 children’s and young adult book publishers will present their wares on a space of 4,000 sq/mt. Meanwhile, at the Frankfurt Hot Spots, the Book Fair’s showcases for technology and digital innovation, some 90 exhibitors from 26 countries will demonstrate their products. In all, visitors can see 170 events and presentations on the four Hot Spot stages.