The Leipzig Book Fair ended on March 30th, attracting 296,000 visitors over four days. A total of 2,040 participants from 45 countries displayed their books and projects in five exhibition halls. The event was held alongside the Manga-Comic-Con, with Norway as the special guest, focusing on the theme “Dream in Spring” (Traum im Frühling). Over the course of the fair, 2,800 activities took place, including book presentations and discussions.
Ukraine was represented by a national stand organized by the Ukrainian Book Institute. Eight notable Ukrainian publishers participated: Chas Maistriv, Ranok, Chas Zmin Inform, Bilka, PROBOOKS, ADEFA-Ukraine Publishing House, the German-Ukrainian magazine Gel[:b]lau, and the cultural and educational organization Oseredok Leipzig e.V. The stand featured a selection of Ukrainian books in German and English translations, as well as German works about Ukraine — totaling 125 titles. Among the most popular were books by Pavlo Kazarin, Maksym Butkevych, and Viktoriia Amelina, which attracted a lot of attention from visitors.
The program included 27 events, featuring book launches and engaging discussions. Speakers were notable figures such as authors Oksana Zabuzhko, Tamara Horikha Zernia, Iryna Tsilyk, and Halyna Petrosaniak, as well as well-known journalists Maksym Butkevych, Pavlo Kazarin, and Stanislav Asieiev. Artist Lada Nakonechna and art critic Kateryna Botanova also shared their perspectives. The discussions covered important topics like freedom, the future of journalism, experiences of captivity, and the situation in Crimea. Noteworthy presentations included the German translations of Tamara Horikha Zernia’s “Daughter”, the book “Mustafa Dzhemilev. Unbroken”, and Pavlo Kazarin’s “The Wild West of Eastern Europe”.
The Ukrainian program was made possible through the joint efforts of the Ukrainian Book Institute, Goethe-Institut Ukraine and its House of Europe program, the Ukrainian Institute, Mystetskyi Arsenal, Meridian Czernowitz, the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), and Translit e.V. Funding for the Ukrainian stage and its activities came from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), the Saxon State Chancellery, and the city of Leipzig.
Additionally, separate booths were presented by Mystetskyi Arsenal and the Meridian Czernowitz poetry festival. Ukraine’s participation in the fair was supported by the city of Leipzig, the Saxon City Chancellery, and the fair organizers, who generously provided booth space and all necessary equipment free of charge.
