Frankfurt Book fair 2008

Inspired and uplifted by two prominent authors, Orhan Pamuk, and Paulo Coelho, I started off my venture to the Frankfurt Book fair with hope for success and belief in myself.

Mr. Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature, spoke at the Opening Ceremony about his first trip to the world’s largest international book fair in 1990 when one of his books was translated into German. Astonished by the magnitude of the international publishing market, he felt overwhelmed by the huge quantity of dueling publishers; he wondered how he would make his mark. Many people couldn’t find Turkey on a map, much less be interested in Turkish literature in translation. When I heard his words, I took them to be that he though of himself as a nobody in the publishing world. (These words are mine, not his.) Sixteen years after feeling like he was a nobody, he had a Nobel Prize and various death threats against him because of his vocal opposition to Turkish censorship about the Armenian genocide, when Ottoman Empire forces murdered hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians during and after World War I.

Though I am neither aiming towards a Nobel Prize nor a cadre of body guards to protect me because my words have offended a strict government, Pamuk’s words struck a chord with me. He overcame the odds to become a world-renowned author. I am lucky that I write in English, one of the world’s most widely read and spoken languages, and I don’t have to worry about people not wanting to read my work because it’s in a foreign language few people learn.

Earlier that day, at the opening press conference, Mr. Paulo Coelho, the world’s most translated living author with over 100 million books sold, offered inspiration in the digital age. Though his native language of Portuguese, is more widely studied than Turkish, he also had to jump over the hurdle of being an author from a developing country. Brazil is not popularly known worldwide for its literature, though it has a rich literary tradition.

He spoke about how he links the pirated translations of his books online to his website to offer to readers. Giving away his books online actually increases his sales because people start reading his books on the net or print out some pages and then go out and buy their own copies. You get more when you give something away, Coelho instructed. He confirmed my idea to provide free access to my books online before I publish them. He sees the Internet as a friend.

He sees his role as a storyteller as a bridge to connect people, enhancing cultural contact.

I was very moved to pursue my own writing career when I read The Alchemist and The Pilgrimage when I read them while living in Argentina in 1999 and working part time as a journalist and editor for the Buenos Aires Herald. It was only poetic that I saw him in person on two occasions (the opening press conference and his own press conference) and was again inspired to follow my dreams.

Thanks you Messrs. Pamuk and Coelho!

Susanna Zaraysky will be self-publishing her two books, Travel Happy, Budget Low: 188 Money Saving Tips to See the World and Language is Music: 64 Fun and Easy Tips to Learn Foreign Languages Fast in February 2009. She will let readers view the book online for free in an online contest starting in November 2008. (www.kaleidomundi.com)