Leipzig Book Fair focuses on Danube literature

From next year, the Leipzig Book Fair intends to establish a fixed program line with changing curated focal points. To kick things off, the focus will be on literature from the Danube region, the fair announced. Under the motto "Danube - Under Current and between Worlds", book presentations, discussions and debates will take place in Hall 4 on all days of the fair.

The program is curated by former ARD Southeast Europe correspondent Stephan Ozsváth and developed together with partners such as the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the Goethe-Institut, the European literature network Traduki, the City of Leipzig and cultural institutions of the participating countries.

A river as a cultural link and mirror of society

"International perspectives are part of the DNA of the Leipzig Book Fair," said Fair Director Astrid Böhmisch. Based on the Danube focus, the program can show "how a river connects cultural and living spaces, draws borders - and overcomes them again". With the new program line, a literary focus is to be set regularly in future - "sometimes internationally, sometimes along social issues".

The Danube is a truly European river, explained Ozsváth. "It connects and separates East and West in equal measure. Migration, multilingualism, diverse identities and the struggle of political powers for influence also characterize the literature of the Danube region to this day."

Ten countries, a thousand stories

The Danube rises in the Black Forest and flows through ten countries over almost 3,000 kilometers before flowing into the Black Sea. The program aims to shed light on the literary, historical, social and political perspectives along the river.

The Leipzig Book Fair will take place from 19 to 22 March 2026.