Photo taken by Porter Anderson at 2019 Frankfurter Buchmesse CEO Talk of Andrew Albanese asking a question of then Netflix International Originals vice-president Kelly Leugenbiehl with program organizer Rudiger Wischenbart (right).
By Andrew Richard Albanese, Editor-in-Chief
In August 2022, I lost my father. I was actually at the courthouse in Washington D.C. covering the Penguin Random House/Simon & Schuster antitrust trial for Publishers Weekly when I was urgently summoned to my father’s bedside, and raced home. And after two long, emotionally draining days, he died. I briefly shared the news with family and friends on social media, then I closed my laptop, and pretty much collapsed.The next morning, I opened my email and one of the first messages I received was from Porter Anderson. At first, I thought he was getting in touch to ask about the trial. Instead, he was writing to share his condolences, and some heartfelt words about grieving and loss. Remember to take care of yourself, too, he closed—simple, kind words that, in the moment, helped.
For days I’ve been thinking about what to say in my introductory column for Publishing Perspectives. Please believe me when I say how grateful I am for the opportunity to work with this excellent team, and how humbled I am by the hundreds of messages of support that have been pouring into my inbox after my appointment was announced yesterday.
But it wasn’t supposed to go like this. You see, I wanted to do this work alongside Porter, not in his place. And I’m afraid it’s just not possible for me to talk about my editorial vision, or the many opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for our industry, before first acknowledging the massive hole that Porter’s unexpected death last month has left in the international publishing community.
Like many of you, I’d had a professional relationship with Porter Anderson for years. We’d done many panels and presentations together. He’d reach out to talk about my reporting at PW, and he’d often share and comment on my work. Occasionally we’d have a drink at a conference reception. But I can’t remember very much about any of those conversations now. What I will never forget, however, is the kindness and empathy that Porter showed me when I was at my lowest.
In the coming weeks and months, I’ll share more about what we’re envisioning for the next chapter of Publishing Perspectives. I don’t need to tell any of you that we are living through some turbulent times. But for this, my first column, I feel compelled to pay tribute to Porter Anderson and the work he did here for the better part of a decade.
It’s been said that publishing is a relationships business—and it certainly was for Porter Anderson. He loved this work. And I can personally attest that he really did care about the people in the publishing industry and the important work we do. To me, that humanity may well be Porter’s most enduring legacy. And it’s one that I pledge to honor.
Comments
Dear Andrew,
This is a very moving message.
Humanity and simplicity are powerful engines in the turbulent times you mention. No doubt they will drive you and lead Publishing Perspectives further in the New Year and beyond.
I wish you and your team all the best for the next chapter.
Kind regards
Laurent
As a self published author this simple but complex magazine has shown immense depth from international book fairs to advice on good marketing practices. Thank you Mr. Anderson.
This article, recently published in Poland, in the journal „Relacje Międzykulturowe =Intercultural Relations,” might be of interest.
Translating Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade: The Limits and Possibilities of Historical Memory by Gustavo Santana Miranda Brito and Marcus Paulo F. Dos S. Domingues https://journals.akademicka.pl/relacje/article/view/7113
Abstract: More than 4 million enslaved Africans came to Brazil between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Almost a million of them came from the west coast of sub-Saharan Africa, known as the Coast of the Mine, which included present-day Ghana, Benin and Togo. In 2002, a South African engineer named Manu Herbstein, who had relocated to Ghana, decided to write a novel about this violent history. Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade narrates the capture and forced displacement of Ama, a young woman from the Bekpokpam people, through the networks of enslavement that connected West Africa to Brazil. This project interrogates the methodology and cultural imperative of translating this novel into Brazilian Portuguese as part of decolonising storytelling practices and as a means of reinforcing identity connections between Brazil and Ghana.
The journal also has an interview with me.
Well said, Andrew.
Andrew, this is a lovely and moving piece. And, the advice to remember to take care of oneself through challenging times is excellent advice. Thank you Andrew (and Porter)