David Grossman calls on writers to bear witness to pandemic | Books | The Guardian

The author and peace activist was speaking from his home outside Jerusalem on Tuesday at the launch of the Frankfurt book fair, which opens on Wednesday. Usually the world's largest trade publishing event, with more than a quarter of a million visitors, this year the event is mostly a digital occasion, with more than 4,400 online exhibitors from 103 countries, and 2,100 virtual events during the week of the fair.

The winner of the Man Booker International prize for his novel A Horse Walks Into a Bar, Grossman suggested authors can "Cease the burden" of the coronavirus outbreak with their "power of observation".