Long Time overdue but in time for the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) buzz, singer Bob Dylan has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize forLiterature. Dylan,who turned 75 this year, is the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” according to the SwedishAcademy’s Nobel Prize Committee.In its citation,the Committee Wrote that’S Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound,’ while adding that he embodies ‘both the intellectual and popular tradition,’ influenced by the Delta blues, folk music from the Appalachians and others such as the French poet Arthur Rimbaud.
Barring a few disgruntled voices, the Nobel Prize for Dylan has been appreciated all around and with good reason. Maybe, it is in the interest of the very democratic spirit Dylan stood up for, that this honor should not win unanimous approval. In these trying times for democracy in America and elsewhere around the world, the inclusive nature of Dylan’s lyrics and style reflects the solitary lighthouse guiding vessels toward safety in a tumultuous sea. To the Doubting Thomases—Why can’t songs breach the hairline fissure that supposedly separate them from poetry?
The nomination is to result in publishers hastily gathering all the Dylan titlesthey have in order to showcase as many of these as possible at the five-day FBF, which kick-starts on 19 October.
Highlights at this year’s FBF include ‘THEARTS+,’ a new exhibition area designed to become a hub for business in the cultural and creative industries, to be introduced with the Arts+ Conference, talks, performances, presentations and an interactive formats lab; a conference on the book markets of Brazil, the Philippines, Poland, Spain, the UAE, UK and this year’s focal Guests of Honor—the Netherlands and Flanders; the International Rights Directors Meeting; the BusinessClub program with matchmaking events and company presentations; workshops on distribution, writers’ tools, self-publishing and similar subjects; four Hot Spots with exhibitors staging digital publishing innovations and technologies; and a collection point for the 100,000 censored books required to construct a Pantheon of Books at next year’s Documenta art exhibition.
PDIT Conference in Mumbai
In case you thought the buzz will fizz out with the FBF, wait till you attend our ‘Packaging, Design, Innovation and Technology’ (PDIT) conference in Mumbai, which will be held on 16 and 17 December this year. The conference, a first of-its-kind of interactive event, will have designers, packaging developers, FMCG product managers and influencers from printing, converting and packaging industries all on the same platform. Jointly organized by IppStar and Messe Dusseldorf India, the PDIT conference will set in motion a vital narrative, including the fast Save Food movement, that will integrate the idea of sustainable packaging in the somewhat fragmented Indian packaging industry. The conference will add depth to the exhibition event and as an annual event, it is expected to create an ongoing conversation between exhibitors and visitors, where industry experts will share the latest ideas and technologies with a knowledgeable audience. Known for interactive, nuts-and-bolts events, IppStar’s conferences have great take-home value for both exhibitors and participants.
