Greet Ramael, grants manager fiction, had about 30 appointments with foreign publishers and editors. She introduced new novels such as ‘Nemen wij dan samen afscheid van de liefde' by Paul Baeten Gronda, ‘Godenslaap' by Erwin Mortier and ‘Het verborgen weefsel' by Stefan Hertmans. Other recent novels that got a lot of attention were ‘Vaderland' by Joseph Pearce, ‘Vrouwland' by Rachida Lamrabet and ‘Suikerspin' by Eric Vlaminck.
As for poetry, grants manager Tom Van de Voorde spoke with American University Presses and independent British publishers who include translated poetry in their fund. He noted interest for the classics, such as Hadewijch and Karel Van de Woestijne, as well as for renowned contemporary poets Leonard Nolens and Stefan Hertmans. Van de Voorde further focused on the younger generation of Flemish poets.
Inès de Bien, who leads the international affairs department at the FLF, introduced the fund to new contacts in publishing and the media. She also met with sister institutions and attended seminars on market trends and on India, this year's guest-of-honour. "We are preparing a new multi-annual policy plan. It is time to broaden our focus. New markets such as India are certainly on our radar", says de Bien.
Although not explicitly, the economic crisis did influence business this year. They were still buying new titles, but some publishers were remarkably cautious and in need of strong arguments to convince their financial departments. Offering translation, travel and production grants, the FLF certainly provided solace to many a publisher.
