Leipzig 2025
Norway will be Guest of Honour at the Leipziger Buchmesse, Germany, March 27-30, 2025.
Please visit our German Guest of Honour website for updated information: gastland2025.de.
We also invite you to follow our German Facebook-page for news on Norwegian literature in German.
The Leipzig Book Fair is the second largest of its kind in Germany with traditions dating back to the 15th century. For readers, it is Germany’s most important book fair, and pulls in almost 300,000 visitors each year. The Leipzig Book Fair also gets a lot of press attention in the German-speaking world. Parallel to the book fair itself, Leipzig also holds a reading festival, with numerous small and large events all over the city.
Leipzig’s book fair is a key platform for increasing awareness of Norwegian literature. As Guest of Honour in 2025, and under the slogan Traum im Frühling (Dream of Spring), Norway will present a broad program where the focus will be on authors who have recently been published in German translation. The goal is increased sales and awareness of Norwegian literature in Germany. We hope to contribute to the joy of reading and the exchange of ideas, and plan on conversations being a common thread during the program.
Read more about the Norwegian Guest of Honour initiative here.
See our Leipzig programme!
From March 27 to 30, 2025, Norway will be the Guest of Honour at Leipziger Buchmesse, the largest public book fair in Germany.
During the fair, around 50 Norwegian authors will take the stage at Leipziger Messe and throughout the city of Leipzig, offering a diverse program with over 80 events. The program includes literature for both adults and children, spanning all genres.
Opening of The Norwegian Guest of Honour Pavilion
The official opening of the Norwegian pavilion at the Leipziger Buchmesse will take place on Thursday, March 27, at 11:00 AM, with H.R.H. Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery in attendance.
The Crown Princess has been ambassador for Norwegian literature abroad since 2017.
Norwegian Guest of Honour Events in Leipzig
Events featuring Norwegian authors will mainly be held at the book fair during the day and at the renowned Schaubühne Lindenfels in the evenings. Norwegian programming will also take place at various venues across Leipzig, including Theater der jungen Welt, Werk II, Grieg Begegnungsstätte, Haus des Buches, bookstores, and local schools.
German podcast on Norwegian literature
We are happy to introduce our brand new Guest of Honour podcast; “Der Büchersnakk”!
Please join us to learn more about Norwegian releases in German. There are in total five episodes to look forward to, one every Thursday up until the book fair. The podcast is made by Anja Höfer in cooperation with Thomas Böhm.
Listen to Büchersnakk on Spotify.
The German language Book Market
The German language market is the most important for Norwegian literature exports. Being the Guest of Honour at the Leipzig Book Fair offers books and authors from Norway a unique opportunity to reach German readers. Leipziger Buchmesse attracts nearly 300,000 visitors annually and is the key meeting place for the German book industry in spring. The event is covered by over 3,500 journalists and bloggers.
Activities in Germany an Norway: Meetings between Norwegian and German authors
We are thrilled to launch the project Du hast eine neue Freundschaftsanfrage! (You Have a New Friend Request!), which is part of the Norwegian Guest of Honour initiative.
Since the early autumn of 2024, Norwegian authors Peter F. Strassegger, Helene Imislund, and Kristin Vego have been exchanging letters with their German colleagues Matthias Jügler, Janin Wölke, and Kristina Schilke.