Guest of Honour: Past guests

Guest of Honour 2024: Italy

“Roots in the future” was the motto of the guest country at Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024. Italy's literary landscape has always been characterized by a combination of rich tradition, cultural heritage and forward thinking. At Frankfurter Buchmesse, we welcomed more than 90 authors, including a large number of young voices. In addition, there were more than 250 new publications in German from 105 publishers as part of the Guest of Honour program: both translations from Italian and new publications related to Italy.

Guest of Honour 2023: Slovenia

Under the motto "Honeycomb of Words", Guest of Honour Slovenia delighted and inspired visitors to Frankfurter Buchmesse 2023. The country, which is attractive to tourists, presented outstanding authors and new literary discoveries.
Slovenia has a long literary tradition and offers a culture that reflects European diversity while remaining independent and original.

Guest of Honour 2022: Spain

Under the motto “Creatividad Desbordante”, Guest of Honour, Spain, was be presenting developments and trends in its literary and cultural life and, especially, its current literary and creative industry. Spain has a diverse literature and rich culture. It is also home to numerous regional languages, including Catalan, Galician and Basque, each of which boasts its own literary works.

Guest of Honour 2021/2020: Canada

Singular Plurality - the name says it all. Canada is eclectic and multicultural, with its differences woven into a colourful fabric resulting in vibrant, creative industries. This is reflective of today’s Canadian literature, which more than ever is bursting with new voices and perspectives. 

Being the Guest of Honour two years in a row (2020/2021) meant that Canadian creators had an unprecedented opportunity to showcase Canada’s publishing and creative industries.

Guest of Honour 2019: Norway

"The Dream We Carry" was Norway’s motto at Frankfurter Buchmesse in 2019. The land of longing, inhabited by the "happiest people in the world", is not only rich in nature, mountains and water. It is a country with a long literary tradition and great stories. Norway invited us on a journey "to an unknown bay" - full of surprising encounters with a rich culture and literature.

Guest of Honour 2018: Georgia

Under this motto, Georgia, the country in the Caucasus, presented itself as a Guest of Honour at Frankfurter Buchmesse. The focus of the presentation was on the 33 "characters" of the unique Georgian alphabet and the stories and authors behind it.

Guest of Honour 2017: France

Our Guest of Honour France gave us the chance to get familiar with the rich diversity and sometimes contradictory nature of French-language literature, which is written and read all around the world.

Guest of Honour 2016: Flanders & the Netherlands

The ocean represents long-standing connections between the Guest of Honour Flanders and the Netherlands and the host country Germany. Visitors to the Guest of Honour Pavilion could stroll through a “literature beach” and discover the treasures of Flemish and Dutch authors: from fiction and non-fiction to poetry and graphic novels.

Guest of Honour 2015: Indonesia

The Guest of Honour appearance of Indonesia gave visitors the opportunity to discover the literature, talents and rich culture of one of the world’s most populous countries. The world’s fourth most populous country is influenced by a long oral tradition, expressive lyrics and a rich tradition of prose.

Guest of Honour 2014: Finland

Guest of Honour Finland’s appearance at Frankfurter Buchmesse was surprising, brave, creative, crazy – and simply cool. At numerous events, visitors discovered the diversity of Finnish literature: from modern works and classics to poetry and non-fiction, along with comics, graphic novels and children’s and young adult books.

Guest of Honour 2013: Brazil

Guest of Honour Brazil took the chance to strengthen its publishing industry and to present its culture to the world as colourful, diverse and strong-voiced. Visitors experienced the limitless creative energy of young authors from a country of rebellion, new beginnings and excitement for the future.