Leipziger Buchmesse in Zahlen Leipzig Book Fair in figures

The reader festival “Leipzig Reads” 24/25
The Woodstock of literature
“The Leipzig Book Fair is a place in which I can meet my readers in a
relaxed atmosphere without any time pressure. As a city of the book
steeped in tradition, Leipzig exudes an atmosphere that reminds one that
the emphasis should be on readers and authors, not solely on business,
trends and jockeying for positions.” KAI MEYER
Hard to believe, but it’s true: “Leipzig liest“ – Leipzig Reads – will cele-
brate its 20th birthday in 2011! Europe’s largest reader festival has, since
the reunification of Germany, made an im-portant contribution to the
success story of the Leipzig Book Fair, with communal events in-volving
the Leipzig Trade Fair, local authorities, the Börsenverein booksellers
association, the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk broadcasting company, Club
Bertelsmann, the Board of Trustees of the “Haus des Buches” (House of
the Book) and innumerable participating publishers nurturing it and help-
ing it grown. Where else does a book festival enrapture an entire city for
four days as it dances and sways to the tempo of literature?
In contrast to classic literature festivals, which concentrate on con tex-
tual aspects, dedicate themselves to individual genres or merely serve as
Asisi Panometer