The Leipzig Book Fair has canceled the originally planned presentation of the novel by AfD politician Maximilian Krah. The event registered by Castrum Verlag was canceled "after careful consideration for security reasons", the book fair announced. The news portal "The Pioneer" had previously reported this.
The presentation of Krah's novel "The Journey to Europe" was scheduled for March 21. Due to Krah's high profile and his "publicly very controversial positions", there were "massive security concerns" regarding the event. The top priority is the protection of all visitors, especially the many school classes, families and young people. The security concept expressly stipulates that events with a considerable risk potential should not be permitted or should be transferred to a different setting.
Krah told the portal that he was surprised by the cancellation. A book fair that was afraid of discussing an "apolitical" book was "not needed by anyone". He rejected the cited security concerns. His publishing house would try again to change the organizer's mind. An event "where everyone has to agree in order to be allowed to present themselves is intellectually dead".
The Leipzig Book Fair, on the other hand, emphasized that it sees itself as a platform for ideas, thoughts and stories, where the literary landscape, society and the public are invited to enter into conversation with each other.
The work by Krah, published in 2026, deals with topics such as Europe's history, memory, identity and responsibility.
Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
