Ullstein Celebrates 108

Siv Bublitz and John le Carré

Kicking off the Frankfurt Book Fair with a bang, German book publisher Ullstein Buchverlage celebrated the release of the Ullstein Chronik - the Ullstein Chronicle - with a lavish party with guests from around the world.

The party was not just for the book, a history of the venerable publishing house founded in 1903, but was a belated anniversary celebration. Originally planned for 2003, the anniversary was put off when the publisher was bought first by Random House and then Bonnier. Now, eight years later, the Ullstein Chronik has at last been published and released, with 1,000 guests gathering in honor of the event, including authors, journalists, agents, colleagues and friends of Ullstein.

Everyone attending was immersed in the history of the publisher, not just with copies of the book but also with a film made for the occasion. "With its diversity, pace and energy, Ullstein embodied the zeitgeist in the best sense of the word," said Publisher Siv Bublitz in describing the first decades of the company. "For anyone interested in the history of book publishing, not only is Berlin an important place, but Ullstein has its roots here."

A highlight of the evening was a speech by John le Carré, who described among other things what it means for him as a British author to have been published for over 50 years in Germany: "To be published in Germany is to have our work taken seriously."

The guests, including members of the Ullstein family, partied until the wee hours of the morning to the music of the King Kamehameha Club Band, flown in from Frankfurt for the occasion.