Leipziger Buchmesse in Zahlen Leipzig Book Fair in figures

International area
European networks
14/15
“The word, whether written, printed or projected on a screen, is always an
attempt to open a barrier. One opens oneself to others and the wider world,
one demolishes the Wall of resentments and the Iron Curtain of prejudices.”
GYÖRGY DALOS
Historically speaking, Leipzig is a well-seasoned location for political
exchanges and discussion that transcends mental boundaries. The func-
tion of the Fair as an East-West hub has changed considerably since the
mid-1990’s as the focus shifts to different countries. Whereas all eyes
were on a few individual countries with the Eastern Europe series started
by Russia in 1994, the literature of Central and Southeast Europe and its
polyphony has since begun to take centre stage and gain an increasing
level of attention. The growing number of books translated is not the only
indication that Leipzig offers an ideal gateway to the German-speaking
market for authors and publishers from the young Balkan states striving
for EU membership. Their appearance as a community at the Fair has
since taken on a new quality: the Southeast European partners are invest-
ing more and more themselves in the expansion and intensification of
their presence.