The publishing world heads to the airport or the road starting this weekend to converge on the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Andrew AlbaneseThis coming Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron will appear together at the Frankfurt Book Fair’s opening ceremony. France is the show’s Guest of Honor for 2017, notes Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer, with some 180 French-language authors expected in Frankfurt throughout the week.

“The election this spring of Macron, and more recently, the re-election of Merkel, offer a chance for these two leaders to talk about Europe’s culture at Europe’s largest cultural gathering,” Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.

“This is an industry – publishing – that is committed to values like diversity, unity, and social justice. Frankfurt Book Fair is a great opportunity to re-assert those values amidst rising nationalist agendas,” he says.

Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.

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