AUSTRIA
Focus of the 47th Frankfurt Book Fair

The countdown to the 47th Frankfurt Book Fair has started: Inaugurated bythe Austrian writer Robert Menasse, the FrankfurtBook Fair will be held at the exhibition grounds in Frankfurt, Germany, fromOctober 11th to 16th, 1995, introducing Austria as this year's main focus.Presenting itself from its most modern side, Austria will be puttingliterature of the twentieth century on show.

The focal point of the exhibition will be the pavilion set up in the open space between halls 4, 5and 6. Its circular construction combines intimacy with openness.

The pavilion, which will cover an area of some 1,000 sq metres, has beendesigned by the architect Adolf Krischanitz, former president of the ViennaSecession. Plans also include a coffeehouse - catered by the famous "Hotel Sacher", Vienna - and anexhibition entitled The Sixth Sense , which hasbeen arranged by Cathrin Pichler and is devoted to eight major aspects ofthe cultural and intellectual significance of contemporary Austrian literature.

The concept underlying the central Austrian theme of the 1995 FrankfurtBook Fair highlights the period from the turn of the century to the presentday and includes literature, science and the arts, as well as intellectual,social and political life. A literary and musical evening with manyprominent personalites will be held at the "AlteOper" in the centre of Frankfurt on October 11th, 1995, and should getthe central theme of Austrian literature off to a fine start. Arepresentative cross-section of Austrian literary achievement will bepresented by writers and actors.

The Frankfurt '95 Committee set up by the Austrian Federal Ministry forScience, Research and the Arts together with the professional association ofthe Austrian book trade has been given the task of preparing the Austrianliterature project. Offices in Vienna, Austria, and Frankfurt areco-ordinating the activities of all participating institutions in Austriaand Frankfurt, and are organising additional events throughout Germany.

The committee has successfully set up several promising partnerships withcultural institutions and venues in Frankfurt which will be hosting Austrianprojects. Numerous exhibitions and eventsfocusing on diverse aspects of Austria - not only literary themes - arebeing organised on a co-operative basis.

The Frankfurt '95 Committee, to give an example, is planning to holdperformances at one of Frankfurt's major literary centres - the "Literaturhaus" - fromOctober 2nd to 15th, 1995. Under the auspices of its Viennese counterpartand of the Austrian Writers' Association, authors, literary magazines andpublishing houses will be presenting readings and panel discussions. Variousother meetings of a literary nature are also being planned.

A further example of the various activities planned for Frankfurt is anexhibition looking at the beginnings of modernism, entitled Austrian Artbetween Tradition and European Avantgarde which will be held at the "Schirn ArtGallery".

Austrian publishing houses are planning a wide range of marketingactivities throughout Germany in preparation for the Book Fair. A series ofevents concerned with Austrian literature is scheduled for some 25 citiesand will be supported by the Austrian State Promotion Board and its relatedorganisations. Among the locations in Germany where exhibitions and eventsarranged together with Austrian partners will be shown are the AutumnLiterary Exhibition of the province of North Rhine Westphalia, the city ofFreiburg im Breisgau and the Berlin "Literaturhaus".