Literature Swiss book industry makes its presence felt at the Leipzig Book Fair
The Leipzig Book Fair starts today (-30.03.). Under the motto "Words move worlds", the industry event aims to encourage people to read. The Swiss book industry invites you to two Swiss evenings in Leipzig and to numerous readings at the joint stand.
27.03.2025, 06:01
SDA
Non-mothers, myths and marble, as well as the possibility of family and a present that would like to know more about its future - these are the topics of the Swiss evening on Saturday at the Neues Schauspiel in Leipzig. Regina Dürig ("Frauen und Steine"), Meral Kureyshi ("Im Meer waren wir nie") and Jonas Lüscher ("Verzauberte Vorbestimmung") will be on stage. The reason for their discussion is their respective new publications.
The significance of writing and resistance will be the focus of the Swiss evening on Friday. The "Weiter Schreiben" project from Switzerland and Germany has carte blanche for this evening. The project connects exiled authors with the local literary scene. Atefe Asadi, Wagdy El Komy, Dragica Rajčić, Shukri Al Rayyan and Mithu Sanyal will be performing.
Swiss presence
In addition, the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association (SBVV) and Pro Helvetia are hosting a total of 19 readings at the joint stand by authors such as Lukas Maisel, Adolf Muschg, Nora Osagiobare and the same three who will be appearing at the Swiss Evening.
Almost forty publishers from Switzerland will be appearing at the joint stand, from Bilgerverlag to Der gesunde Menschenversand, Diogenes, Edition Moderne, Geparden or Kein & Aber, to Rotpunkt or Verlag die Brotsuppe. There are also Swiss publishers, such as the romance publisher Sternensand, Unionsverlag and Kampa with Dörlemann, who will have their own stand in Leipzig.
The afternoon of the first regular day of the fair (March 27) will also be exciting from a Swiss perspective. That's when the 15,000 euro Leipzig Book Fair Prize will be awarded in three categories. In the fiction category, Swiss author Christian Kracht will be competing with his novel "Air" against Kristine Bilkau ("Halbinsel"), Esther Dischereit ("E in Haufen Dollarscheine"), Wolf Haas ("Wackelkontakt") and Cemile Sahin ("Kommando Ajax").
Norway's diverse literature
This year's guest country at the Leipzig Book Fair is Norway. The literary motto of this appearance is "Dream in Spring". The Scandinavians are presenting almost 50 authors, including stars such as Karl Ove Knausgård and Maja Lunde. However, Margit Walsø, Director of the "Norwegian Literature Abroad" association, said that the explicit aim of the guest country presentation was to reflect the entire diversity of Norwegian literature. The Norwegians also have many children's books in their luggage.
The originally planned opening of the guest country stand by Crown Princess Mette-Marit on the first day of the fair had to be canceled for health reasons. The 51-year-old is suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, the Norwegian court announced. Mette-Marit is committed to promoting Norwegian literature and has been an official ambassador for Norwegian literature abroad since 2017.
More than 2000 events are on the program at the "Leipzig Reads" reading festival. The book fair thus underlines its claim to be above all a stage for authors. The two Nobel Prize for Literature winners Svetlana Alexievich and Olga Tokarczuk are expected in Leipzig, as well as influencers such as Gazelle and Gialu and Malte Zierden. Bestselling author Sebastian Fitzek will be taking extra time for his fans. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, he has announced signing sessions lasting several hours.
New "Audiowelt" and Manga-Comic-Con
"Reading is also discovered through listening", said Book Fair Director Astrid Böhmisch. The fair has set up an "Audio World" for the first time. On a stage and in three listening islands, interested visitors can discover audiovisual content ranging from audio books to podcasts. Böhmisch believes that the trade fair is responding to an important development in the industry with the audio world.
The Manga-Comic-Con is a separate trade fair, but is inextricably linked to the book fair. The often imaginatively dressed visitors provide a splash of color between the stands of the traditional publishers. The fair management is counting on this mix and sees the mostly young people as the readers of the future. At the manga fair itself, the offerings range from signing sessions and cosplay to Japanese workshops.
This year, the Leipzig Book Fair is taking place at a challenging time economically. In 2024, the Swiss book market recorded a 1.8 percent drop in sales and 1.3 percent fewer books sold, while retailers increased prices by an average of one percent. In Germany, book sales fell by 1.7 percent, while turnover increased by 0.8 percent. The Book Fair now wants to promote reading.
