LITPROM Promoting Global Stories

Litprom is an initiative of Frankfurter Buchmesse

Ein Mann filmt mit seinem Smartphone ein Bühnengespräch mit Sayaka Murata.

Litprom stands for dialogue through literature. The initiative gives literary voices from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Arab world greater visibility in the German-speaking world, strengthens awareness of their literatures, and promotes exchange and networking among authors, readers and literary institutions. It offers a versatile platform for literary encounters and helps foster a shift in perspective.

With the Litprom initiative, Frankfurter Buchmesse supports the circulation of stories from places beyond Western realities across German-speaking regions; it promotes “global stories”.

Litprom was founded in 1980 as a registered association in Frankfurt am Main to promote literatures from the regions mentioned above. It was prompted by Frankfurt Book Fair’s focus at the time: Sub-Saharan Africa. The association remained active until 2024; since 2025, some of its areas of work have been continued by Frankfurter Buchmesse.

Translation funding

Frankfurter Buchmesse and the Goethe-Institut jointly run the “Litprom Translation Support” project for works of fiction from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Arab world, Turkey, and Israel. The programme is funded by the Goethe-Institut and awards grants towards translation costs to publishers in Germany. Further information (German only)

Litprom Catalogue: World Literature in German Translation

This directory – previously known as the QUELLEN catalogue and still being updated – contains over 10,000 literary titles from the Global South, by authors with a migrant history and from indigenous communities — mostly in German translation, and in some cases originally written in German. It is possible to carry out a detailed search using various criteria.

Open Litprom Catalogue

International matchmaking and cooperations

Litprom collaborates with foreign cultural institutions and stakeholders in the book industry to promote literature from specific countries or languages within the German-speaking book market – for example, through business matchmaking, other event formats, or lists of suggested titles with recommendations for translation into German:

Contemporary Literature from Singapore

Fiction Titles Recommended for Translation

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On behalf of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, Litprom promotes winning titles and shortlisted titles of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award(opens in a new window) for Arabic Literature within Europe.

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Contact

International cooperations

Marcella Melien

+49 69 2102 246

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Translation Support and Litprom Catalogue

Petra Kassler

+49 69 2102 143