My FBF Horace Bent


Due to overwhelming—okay, moderate—public demand, the erstwhile custodian of the Organ of the Book Trade returns to guide you round the aisles at the Frankfurt Book Fair...


Bent’s Notes M


ON DIEU, FRANKFURT rolled out the big hiters yesterday, didn’t it? Normally, Tuesday at the Messe is, with


the greatest respect to our gracious hosts, a bit of a damp squib. There will be a few folk in the confer- ences, witering on about their respective home markets (“Selling Ancillary Rights in Freedonia and Laputa: What You Really Need to Know”), or some Guest of Honour mandarin who, aſter 30 years of shuffling papers in a culture ministry, has a chance to shine in what will be an interminable Opening Ceremony speech (I tell you what, Juer- gen Boos1


has many talents but chief among them


is the abilit to mask boredom while visiting digni- taries drone on). Actually, the only real action of a Messe Tues-


day tends to be in the erection of the stands, an engineering and technical marvel. I like it when the head honchos muck in: stroll the aisles the day before the trade opening and you’ll get a chance to see Bridget Shine unpacking boxes, Kate Wilson2


German bonhomie spiced with a just a soupçon of pass-agg jousting from the German chancellor and French president about who is going to be the queen or king of Europe.


holding meetings while Nosy Crow furni- ture is frantically assembled around her, or a shirt- less, sweat Tim Hely Hutchinson almost single- handedly constructing the Hachete stand (alas, this year for the last time). But yesterday we had a bit of international star- dust: Les Gros Fromages, Die Zwei Bosse, two titans of the world stage whose decisions have repercussions for millions. Yes, Markus Dohle3


and


Andrew Wylie delivered speeches. I jest, of course. I was referring to the Angie and Mac Revue, that lovey-dovey show of Franco-


If there’s something you would like to share with your old pal Horace (in the strictest confidence, naturellement...), email horace.bent@thebookseller.com or tweet @horacebent


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I didn’t see many of the British contingent at the Opening Ceremony. Fair dues: it took place at 5 p.m., which is happy hour. If Merkel and Macron met at the Hessischer Hof bar, I imagine the Brits might have stopped by for a quick livener before slinking off downstairs to the Hachete part. But from the British point of view there was also some- thing depressingly, oh, I don’t know, professional about watching Angie and Mac. Neither needed a Strepsil to finish their speech, the leters behind Merkel didn’t fall off the wall, Macron wasn’t handed his P45 by a prankster. Most depressingly of all was how litle was mentioned of dear old Blight. I know you are supposed to wish an ex well, that they move on with their lives. But deep down, you really want them to pine incessantly in abject misery. (Unac- countably, the many, many former Mrs Bents4


all


seem to lead exceptionally jolly lives.) Yesterday, I thought Angie and Mac would dwell on the Brexit divorce over a botle of Lambrini and a couple of boxes of Maltesers. But, no. There they were in their diplomatic pas de deux, blissful in their togetherness and shared cultural bonds. I’m so, so happy for them. No, really. Honest. Promise...


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Management PUBLISHER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE Nigel Roby 0361 · FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION CO-ORDINATOR Anna Marzec 0374 Editorial EDITOR Philip Jones 0364 · DEPUTY EDITOR Benedicte Page 0367 · NEWS EDITOR Lisa Campbell 0369 · REPORTER Heloise Wood 0392 · REPORTER Katherine Cowdrey 0365 · REPORTER Natasha Onwuemezi 0366 Online ASSOCIATE EDITOR:FUTUREBOOK Molly Flat molly.flat@gmail.com · ONLINE EDITOR & PRODUCER Sarah Shaffi 0370 · WEB EDITOR Caroline Carpenter 0376 · EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Francesca Pymm 0390 Charts FEATURES & INSIGHT EDITOR Tom Tivnan 0373 · CHARTS & DATA ANALYST Kiera O’Brien 0375 Production HEAD OF CENTRAL PRODUCTION Mark Guest 0377 · CREATIVE EDITOR Danny Arter 0379 Advertising HEAD OF PUBLISHER RELATIONS Emma Lowe 0362 · BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Lara Pace 0393 · HEAD OF CLIENT DEVELOPMENT Gerard O’hare 0384 · ACCOUNT MANAGER Emma Hare 0387 Marketing/Events AUDIENCE MARKETING MANAGER Kirstine Bowen 0371 · HEAD OF EVENTS Grace Harrison 0386 · EVENTS & ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Hilary Bell 0385


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11th October 2017


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