T

here is a sense of pride for Indonesians strolling down the streets of Frankfurt this week, as Indonesian authors and comic artists take part in discussions and activities around the city. Novels by Laksmi Pamuntjak, Leila S. Chudori, Eka Kurniawan and Ayu Utami feature prominently in the German media these days.

Exhibitions on Indonesian architecture, photography and contemporary art enliven the city'€™s museums and public spaces. Scores of Indonesian celebrity chefs host cooking classes, dinners and even offer street food to present the tantalizing flavors of the country'€™s culinary heritage.

All of this is possible because Indonesia received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the world'€™s largest publishing trade fairs, which dates back to the 15th century.

'€œWe write to give life to dialogue and conversation, and in doing so, we nurture freedom,'€ said Goenawan Mohamad, head of the national committee for the fair, in his opening speech.

From Wednesday until Sunday at the gigantic Frankfurter Messe, hundreds of selected authors and artists are sharing their thoughts and passions at a wide range of events.

Most of these take place in the spacious Indonesian Pavilion, which is beautifully decorated in luminous blue and purple lights and tastefully arranged white cubic lanterns. At the pavilion, Ahmad Tohari introduced his novel Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk (The Dancer) and the events of 1965, the dark chapter in Indonesia'€™s history, while Intan Paramaditha and Oka Rusmini discussed the role of women and taboos in Indonesian culture.

Other parts of the Indonesian Pavilion offered sanctuaries where visitors could read comics, listen to bedtime stories while lying on a comfortable round sofa and taste samples of Balinese food following a culinary presentation by Janet DeNeefe.

Hopes are high that Indonesia'€™s strong presence at the event will help offset weakening book sales at home. The fair provides a golden opportunity for around 20 Indonesian publishers to sell their books'€™ translation rights to publishing houses in Europe and beyond.

'€œWe haven'€™t set any specific target for copyright deals,'€ said Siti Gretiana from publisher Gramedia Pustaka Utama, who organizes meet-up events for local and foreign publishers.

'€œOur focus is on literature, because I believe such works are particularly welcome,'€ she said.

Last year, Gramedia sold the rights for Laksmi'€™s novel Amba (The Question of Red) to respected German publishing company Ullstein Verlag, which has published the works of George Orwell, Ha Jin, Margaret Atwood, Nobel Prize winner Knut Hamsun, Richard Dawkins and J.K. Rowling.

In August 2015, the novel topped the prestigious Weltemfaenger (Receivers of the World) list of the best foreign works of fiction translated into German. '€œGermany is a door to the world,'€ Goenawan said. '€œGermany published more translated books than the US.'€

Initially, Indonesia had planned to have 300 novels and short story compilations translated to German and English in a bid to market them at the trade fair. But limited time and a lack of translators saw Indonesia narrowly miss that target.

Also making its mark at the fair Spice It Up! Indonesia, a culinary program that was gathered around 40 Indonesian chefs and culinary experts. In the Spice Island corner of the Indonesian Pavilion, they invited visitors to touch, sniff and taste 62 exotic spices and rainbow-colored rice infused with herbs and spices. Downstairs, noted restaurateur William Wongso set the lunch menu for the Indonesian Canteen.

Meanwhile, food writer Bondan Winarno shared his latest book, Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce): A National Condiment, and culinary expert Sisca Soewitomo revealed the art of wrapping food in banana leaves.