Selected Events 2008    

Consulate General Stand at Leipzig Book Fair Becomes Major Meeting Point

The Consulate Stand at Leipzig Book Fair

March 13–16, 2008. For the second year in a row, the Consulate General stand at the annual Leipzig Book Fair, which ran from March 13 to 16, displayed some 350 U.S. titles donated by approximately 40 major American publishing houses, university presses and even a few major U.S. museums. Among the books displayed were those by and about the three remaining U.S. presidential candidates, as well as books on politics, sports, U.S. history and social issues, the arts as well as other contemporary subjects and issues. The Fair attracted some 129,000 visitors, and many of these - guided by the large U.S. flag hanging from the ceiling above the stand - lingered to browse the collection, or pick up a free copy of the "New York Review of Books" or "Publisher’s Weekly." Events at the stand included a web chat on study and work in the USA, a session on visas and consular services, and an appearance by German author Werner Peters who engaged visitors in a dialog about his book, "Rätsel America" (The American Puzzle) in which he attempts to explain the U.S. to a German audience. With the permission of the publishers, obtained in all cases, all books will now be donated to city, university and high school libraries throughout the Leipzig Consulate General district.