Norway as Guest of Honour in Leipzig 2025 – Final Report Now Available

From 27 to 30 March 2025, Norway was Guest of Honour at the Leipzig Book Fair. Norwegian authors took part in an extensive literary programme on various stages at the fairgrounds and across the city of Leipzig. In the run-up to the fair, a broad programme of literary events, reading tours, industry meetings and press activities was also organised.

The final report documents NORLA’s work on the project and evaluates the results against the objectives for the Guest of Honour initiative adopted by NORLA’s board.

NORLA is delighted with the tremendous support for the Guest of Honour project – from government ministries, book industry organisations and a wide range of Norwegian and German partners. We greatly appreciate the positive reception of the project and its many activities, and would like to thank everyone who contributed to making Norway’s Guest of Honour appearance such a success.

Leipzig 2025 in numbers

Around 50 authors · nearly 80 events · around 20,000 audience members · 4 days at the fair · 4,000 articles in German print media

There was tremendous interest in the Norwegian programme. Almost all of NORLA’s events were filled to capacity, and the two main venues – the Norwegian stand at the fair and Schaubühne Lindenfels, the Norwegian literary hub in Leipzig – attracted large audiences throughout the fair. More than 1,000 books were sold from the Norwegian stand.

Norway as a literary nation

The Guest of Honour appearance also attracted extensive media attention in Germany. During the book fair, 4,000 articles were published in German print media, and all the major German TV channels reported on Norway as Guest of Honour. Norwegian authors and their books received considerable attention, while the media also highlighted Norway as a literary nation to be reckoned with.

“The almost perfect literary nation,” wrote Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in connection with Norway’s Guest of Honour appearance.

The strong public interest and extensive media coverage demonstrate the breadth and impact of Norwegian literature in Germany. At the same time, the project has strengthened ties between the Norwegian and German book industries and laid a solid foundation for NORLA’s continued work in the German-language market.

Read the full report (in Norwegian) here: