About the Author

Olivia Snaije

Olivia Snaije is a journalist and editor based in Paris who writes about translation, literature, graphic novels, the Middle East, and multiculturalism. She is the author of three books and has contributed to newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Global Post, and The New York Times.

Beirut39 Spotlights Arab Writers Under 40

In Feature Articles by Olivia Snaije

By Olivia Snaije LEBANON: The UK-based Hay Festival has announced the shortlist of writers who will be part of Beirut39, a project that intends to give exposure to 39 of some of the most accomplished Arab writers under the age of 40. Hay had previously organized Bogotá39 in 2007, which identified talented young Latin American writers and introduced them to …

French Books en force

In Feature Articles by Olivia Snaije

By Olivia Snaije French publishers have weathered the economic downturn comparatively well, and this fall a total of 659 French and foreign novels were published for the inescapable rentrée littéraire (literary season). Many of the books being presented here at Frankfurt have already made the long or shortlist of the numerous French literary prizes that will be announced at the …

Bringing Asia to France

In Feature Articles by Olivia Snaije

By Olivia Snaije ARLES: “Asia is vast enough to be our only concern” is the motto of Editions Philippe Picquier, the French publishing house based in Arles, France. With more than 800 titles in their catalogue, the Editions Philippe Picquier has been publishing material ranging from classical and modern literature to detective stories and children’s books by Chinese, Japanese, Korean …

Bonus Material: Working with Chinese Publishers

In Discussion by Olivia Snaije

By Olivia Snaije Establishing contacts with Chinese publishers can seem daunting, but Chen Feng of Editions Philippe Picquier says all publishers have at least one in-house person who speaks English and can deal with requests from abroad. Among the better-known publishers she suggests: Guangxi Normal University Press, Beijing BBT No. 26, Xinghua Dongli Hepingli Dongcheng District 100013 Beijing Contact: M. Jie Zhiyong …

Bonus Material: Floating in Frankfurt

In Discussion by Olivia Snaije

By Olivia Snaije If for some reason you have discovered that your hotel room reservation in Frankfurt for the Book Fair has inexplicably vanished, or that you have decided at the last minute to attend the Fair after all, there are a few rooms left aboard the “Crossgates hotelships.” The British company hires river cruise ships from shipping companies during …

Frankfurt on a Shoestring

In Feature Articles by Olivia Snaije

By Olivia Snaije With the Frankfurt Book Fair looming, UK independent publishers hard hit by the economic crisis are trimming and pruning wherever they can for the upcoming Book Fair. While the Book Fair is considered vital, a general trend is that publishers will be sending fewer people to Frankfurt this year. Juliet Mabey, publisher and co-founder of Oneworld based …