International voices, free thought: The 78th Frankfurter Buchmesse opens

Opening press conference with Sebastian Guggolz, Juergen Boos and Jill Lepore / The week-long fair brings together rights trading, literature, political debates and opportunities for fans to meet their favourite authors. 

The 78th Frankfurter Buchmesse will bring the international book and media world to Frankfurt from 7 to 11 October 2026. 

At today’s opening press conference, Sebastian Guggolz, Chairman of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, Juergen Boos, Director of Frankfurter Buchmesse, and the American historian and author Jill Lepore set out the themes for the week of the fair. 

Sebastian Guggolz emphasised the importance of books in a polarised public sphere: “The key counterbalances to the loudspeakers of our time and to the pressure to conform are, and always will be, books.” 

Juergen Boos spoke about freedom to publish: “Freedom to publish determines which stories can still be published today, which perspectives reach people, and which conversations a society has.” 

Jill Lepore linked the freedom to read and write with political self-determination: “Our thoughts and our words – and our books – belong to us. And our consent to, or refusal of, any system of government must come from us.” 

The fair week explores these questions further: in the international specialist programme on rights trading, in the role of artificial intelligence, the growth of the audio and book adaptation markets, as well as at Frankfurt Calling. The cultural policy programme brings together 120 events at eleven venues across the exhibition grounds and throughout the city. 

The Guest of Honour, the Czech Republic, is travelling to Frankfurt with 75 authors. Under the motto ‘A Country on the Coast’, the Guest of Honour Pavilion invites visitors into a literary landscape that does not appear on any map. Over the fair weekend, readers will meet authors, content creators and other fans there and across the entire fairgrounds. 

Recording of the opening press conference: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJKgN63LC-Q(opens in a new window)