BOOKFEST: Programme highlights

“The Poetry Project – To Europe alone. German and refugee youth in poetic conversation” is the opening event of the six-day festival BOOKFEST. At the 25hours Hotel, young poets will talk about fear, foreignness and longing. And this is just one of the many highlights of the Frankfurter Buchmesse international festival for literature, stories and ideas. From 9 to 14 October, a total of 80 events will be held in the Frankfurt Pavilion, “Harmonie” Room and at popular locations across the city of Frankfurt.

In central Frankfurt, visitors can attend numerous poetry slams, tastings and panel discussions. Germany’s first chocolate sommelière, Annette Klingelhöfer, is hosting a chocolate tasting at Libertine Lindenberg, where she will also present her book “Die Schokoladen-Manufaktur” (“The Chocolate Factory”). Tasting will also be the order of the day at a “liquid reading” by the author Jürgen Deibel (“Whiskys der Welt” – “Whiskeys of the World”) at the “Genussakademie” in the Medienhaus. In addition, Jörg Nießen will offer glimpses into the everyday life of a paramedic, recounting his experiences and telling anecdotes from inside an ambulance in a moderated discussion at the restaurant Walden, where he will also perform a reading. At BASIS, the publisher Kunstanstifter Verlag will present a live drawing performance based on the book “Die stramme Helene” (“Sturdy Helene”) by Martin Burkhardt and Steffen Herbold. A presentation of the new book “Alles nur Fassade?” (“Nothing but a Façade?”) by architectural historian Turit Fröbe will take place at the Deutsche Architekturmuseum (German Architecture Museum). The Frankfurter Buchmesse Guest of Honour Georgia will present its cuisine on three evenings at the restaurant freitagsküche, and Christian Maintz and Thomas Gsella will prepare a dumpling menu and read poems from the anthology “Vom Knödel wollen wir singen” (“An Ode to Dumplings”) at Club Michel.

BOOKFEST will also add its own literary touches at the Book Fair. In the new Frankfurt Pavilion on the Agora, fair visitors can look forward to a programme featuring outstanding authors, including Paul Beatty, Dmitry Glukhovsky, Dörte Hansen, Eckart von Hirschhausen, Cixin Liu, Maja Lunde, Robert Seethaler, Martin Suter, Benedict Wells, Meg Wolitzer, Deniz Yücel and Juli Zeh. Sunday, 14 October 2018, from 9.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m., is Family Day, with events and readings for families and children, with Martin Baltscheit and Ralph Caspers, amongst others.

BOOKFEST events in the Frankfurt Pavilion are open to all Book Fair visitors. Only the opening ceremony for the new main stage on 10 October at 10 a.m. is reserved exclusively for invited guests. Here, at an event entitled “On Opining. How to Defend Freedom in Turbulent Times”, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will speak with the Croatian writer Ivana Sajko (winner of this year’s International Literature Award – Haus der Kulturen der Welt) and Belgian author Stefan Hertmans (“Die Fremde” and “Der Himmel meines Großvaters”, published by Hanser Berlin). The discussion will be moderated by Michaela Kolster, Progamme Director of the German television station ZDF/Phoenix.

“An exclusive selection 2018 – the Frankfurter Buchmesse VIP event” is another event that is by invitation only. At one of the most hidden away spots at Frankfurt Airport, guests will “zoom in” on the Guest of Honour Georgia in an exclusive atmosphere – with inspiring literature, unique music and excellent cuisine. The multiple award-winning director and writer Nana Ekvtimishvili will read from her novel “Das Birnenfeld” and offer insight into contemporary Georgian culture in a conversation with Andrea Thilo. Guests can also look forward to Georgian culinary specialties and traditional wines – served by top chefs from the Kuffler Group.

In the “Harmonie” Room, visitors will have a chance to see national and international stars live: On Saturday, 13 October 2018, in a conversation with Bernd Eilert, Otto Waalkes will present his autobiography “Kleinhirn an alle” (“Cerebellum to All”). In addition, on the same day, on the stage of the Congress Center Messe Frankfurt, Marc-Uwe Kling will launch his book “Die Känguru Apokryphen” (“Kangaroo Apocrypha”) and Anna Todd will present “The Brightest Stars”. And, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter, Carlsen Verlag will aim to bring together 1,000 fans in costumes in the hope of setting a new world record.

For an overview of all the events, as well as more details, go to bookfest.de(opens in a new window)
#fbm18 #bookfest

BOOKFEST partners: 25hours Hotel Frankfurt The Trip, Ameropa, AMP, ARTE, Atelierfrankfurt, Basis, Club Michel, German Architecture Museum, Frankfurt Airport VIP-Services, Frankfurter Hof, freitagsküche, Galore, Guest of Honour Georgia, Genussakademie, Gibson, Hotel Nizza, hr2, Libertine Lindenberg, MOMEM, MyZeil, Naxoshalle, Palmengarten, Stern Crime, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Taverna Omikron, taz – die tageszeitung, The English Theatre, Tumult, Walden, WELT.

Frankfurt Pavilion partners: Hugendubel, Vitra, Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels e.V. (German Publishers and Booksellers Association), Bollinger + Grohmann, BRIGITTE, German Book Prize, DER SPIEGEL, German Cartoon Prize, German Children’s Literature Award, EUPL - European Union Prize for Literature, Georgia – Made by Characters, GIA – Global Illustration Award, Holzbau Amann, Confucius Institute Frankfurt, Litprom e.V., Norla – Norwegian Literature Abroad, schneider+schumacher, Taiyo Europe, WUB – Woche unabhängiger Buchhandlungen (Independent Bookshop Week), Zumtobel.

About the Frankfurter Buchmesse
The Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with over 7,300 exhibitors from 102 countries, around 286,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and some 10,000 accredited journalists and bloggers in attendance. It also brings together key players from the fields of education, film, games, STM, academic publishing, and business information. Since 1976, the book fair has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. The Frankfurter Buchmesse organises the participation of German publishers at around 20 international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. Access to the Business Club, with its premium services, networking events, and conferences, such as THE MARKETS, is available exclusively with a Business Ticket – the premium option for B2B visitors. THE ARTS+ was launched in 2016 as a fair, business festival and international meeting place for the culture and creative industries. It aims to exploit the potential of digitalisation for creative content and to develop new business areas. Frankfurt EDU, the international education platform of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, presents innovative concepts, content and technologies for the future of learning. Campus Weekend at the Frankfurter Buchmesse is dedicated to university students. The Frankfurter Buchmesse is a subsidiary of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers & Booksellers Association). https://www.buchmesse.de/en(opens in a new window)  

Contact for the media:
Press & Corporate Communications Frankfurter Buchmesse
Katja Böhne, Vice President Marketing & Communications, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-138, press@book-fair.com
Kathrin Grün, Head of PR and Communications, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-170, gruen@book-fair.com

Tina Pfeifer, PR Manager, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-271, pfeifer@book-fair.com

> Press information online >https://www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-releases(opens in a new window)
> Photos in print quality >https://www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-material(opens in a new window)