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Erfurt / Leipzig (dpa) - The renewed cancellation of the Leipzig Book Fair due to the Corona crisis is, according to the state industry association, a severe economic blow for the book business.
The managing director of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels-Landesverband Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thuringia, Heike Haupt, said in a joint press release published on Friday with Thuringia's minister of culture that it was a disaster for the publishers because they again did not show their new programs publicly could.
Bookstores could not get an overview of the novelties, and readers could not come to browse.
"The personal encounters and conversations that we needed so badly will be very missing," says Haupt.
The cancellation is a responsible decision.
"The ongoing corona pandemic does not allow sensible planning of such a large event."
It had previously been announced that the Leipzig Book Fair had been canceled due to the pandemic and that a digital version was being prepared for a reading festival instead.
The book fair was canceled last spring due to Corona.
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Thuringia's Minister of Culture Benjamin-Immanuel Hoff (left) also said that the cancellation was regrettable, but that health protection was in the foreground.
“It is all the more important to me that literary encounters remain possible.
I am pleased that readings are planned in the digital space and at other selected locations in Leipzig. "
Thuringia supported authors with grants and project funds during the Corona crisis.
The Leipzig Book Fair actually always takes place in March.
The last event before the onset of the crisis saw 286,000 visitors at the trade fair and reading festival in 2019.
Germany's largest book fair in Frankfurt could not take place on a normal scale in 2020 either.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210129-99-226165 / 2