Offering picture books for children, graphic novels, books for young adults, post-war literature and German novels, people were excited to scroll through the pages of the well-designed books. Learners of the German language were a large part of the visitors as it was a golden chance for them to improve their language skills by reading contemporary German books. Meanwhile, Indian visual artists and illustrators were attracted to the high quality graphic novels it had in its stock.

On the sidelines of the Fair, on 7 January, the German Book Office New Delhi and the Institute Française India organised a professional talk and showcase on illustrated books at the Oxford Bookstore, Connaught Place.

It was a multi-faced event in which different authors, publishers and illustrators talked about the challenges and future goals of comic books, graphic novels, children’s books and illustrated non-fiction literature.

GBO New Delhi showcased the ARTS+ initiative of the Frankfurt Book Fair and presented the German Book Market in conversation with Michael Dreusicke and Miriam Hofheinz from pubPort Publishing led by GBO Director Prashasti Rastogi. They talked about the possibilities of collaboration between Indian publishers, service providers and German publishing houses by building an eco-system of translations.

Globalocal

The stage was set by National Book Trust, India at New Delhi World Book Fair, Pragati Maidan on 10 January. What followed was an enriching and informative round of discussions as well as presentations which threw light on the global trends in the field of publishing and translation and their effects on the local markets.

Claudia Kaiser (vice-president, Frankfurt Book Fair) threw light on various trends and challenges in the field of publishing and translation and their tentative effects on the future.

Representatives of the Institut Française, The Japan Foundation, British Council, The Embassy of China, The Embassy of France, Vani Prakashan and Instituto Italiano de Cultura were also present. Everyone was intrigued by the change in trends and the facts presented to them by the representatives of other countries. Nobody denied the effect of digitalisation and the changes it has brought in the field of publishing. In the end one could see that the event had given everyone food for thought and every representative stressed the need for such events and discussions.

GBO presents A Slice of Germany

On 14 January, the GBO stand at New Delhi World Book Fair, was bustling with people. Some were immersed in the books from the shelves, It was the afternoon dedicated to translation and promotion of German literature, aptly titled – A Slice of Germany.

Prashasti Rastogi (director, German Book Office New Delhi) and Kamal Pruthi (translator/ theatre artist) introduced the translators to the website, www.translating-germany.com, a website created solely for the benefit of literary translators and serves as a connecting link between translators and the publishers. The translators had already uploaded their profiles on the website and voiced their opinion stating that such a platform is strongly required in today’s dynamic field of translation.

After the official introduction to the website, translators read out each other’s translations and enjoyed giving feedback and suggestions to their peers. The afternoon ended with the game of giving titles to the books on the shelves and each translator being presented with a German-Hindi dictionary.