The Frankfurt Book Fair

The Frankfurt Book Fair is one of the most important events of its kind in the world – and the largest. This unique Fair has an excellent international reputation and receives world-wide attention. It is a forum for the world´s major publishers, an interface of international networking, the major marketplace for publication rights, a starting-point for translation projects, and thus the most important meeting-place in the international book world.

Over 7,000 exhibitors from 100 countries take part in the Fair, promoting a total of about 400,000 book titles. Nearly 300,000 guests attend the Fair each year.

Since 1976 the Book Fair's management have invited Guests of Honour to the Fair: nations and linguistic regions which are given an opportunity to promote their books in a wide cultural context.

From the ceremonial opening of the Book Fair with VIP guests, to the Guest of Honour's own exhibition pavilion, and a programme of lectures and exhibitions, the guest nation is in the limelight throughout the Frankfurt Book Fair.

In addition to the Book Fair's own programme, museums, galleries, cinemas, concert halls and literary associations in the German-speaking world hold a range of events featuring artists from the guest nation.

The international media use this opportunity to focus on the literature and culture of the Guest of Honour. Writers and their work are given extensive coverage in literary publications and news and current affairs programmes, while lifestyle and travel publications also publish supplements about the Guest of Honour. Extensive media coverage of this nature gives rise to huge public interest in the culture of the relevant country, in the run-up to the Book Fair and long after it is over.