And while we were in Bologna, just 1000 km and 10 days earlier, the Leipziger Buchmesse, or the “Leipzig Book Fair”, took place. This is the second international book forum in Germany, which, although smaller, has played an important role in the cultural life of the divided country for many years. The fair dates back to 1632, when it managed to surpass even the one in Frankfurt am Main in terms of fame and number of books presented. After World War II and the revival of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, Leipzig became the main book forum of the GDR and the countries on “our” side of the Iron Curtain. Bulgaria has participated in various events more than once, as well as in the revived IBBA exhibition in 1956, which we may have to tell you about someday.
But let’s get back to the present, we can talk about the past another time. The Leipzig Book Fair has the difficult task of competing with its brother – Frankfurt, and on its home soil. That’s why the organizers aim to shift the focus away from copyright trade and create a slightly “homelier” atmosphere. The forum is open to the public, albeit with a ticket (!) and aims to bring writers and readers together under one roof. The two most important German awards are presented during the fair. The Leipzig Book Fair Prize (since 2005) this year went to Esther Kinsky, Karl Schloegel and Sabine Stöhr and Juri Durkot; the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding (since 1994) – to Åsne Seierstad (Norway) and the nomination for the German Children´s Literature Award (since 1956)
In 2018, the Leipziger Buchmesse took place between March 15 and 18. The country in focus was our neighbor Romania (for the second time, the previous one was in 1998), which presented more than 50 events related to its cultural identity under the slogan “Zoom In”.
One of the main attractions for children and adults in 2018 was Manga Comic-Con and the cosplay program.
The Leipzig Fair has also established itself as a center for the art book. Until a few years ago, a separate zone could be used to present artists who create their own unique books. One of our major Bulgarian participants was Desislava Vardzhieva-Eckart, as some may have guessed – the daughter of Prof. Todor Vardzhiev. She traditionally produced books with graphic prints in limited editions and presented them at her own stand. The National Academy of Arts has also participated several times with similar projects and her own stand, but unfortunately this opportunity was lost in time. We are not sure if this practice is still going on at the fair, but this year one of the halls is dedicated to antiquarian books, “The Art of the Book and Graphics” and an exhibition of “The Most Beautiful Books from Around the World”.
Many artists claim that the Leipzig fair is somehow “different” and cannot be compared to either Frankfurt or Bologna. We did not have the opportunity to visit it this year, but we will correct our mistake next year.
Text: Milena Radeva
Photos: Leipziger Buchmesse website / FB page
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