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Africa in focus 2010

The Göteborg Book Fair 2010 will focus on Africa and African literature.

You can follow the preparations for Göteborg Book Fair 2010 at http://www.afrika2010.se/english

Read the News Letters Africa in focus 2010 here.

- Africa at Göteborg Book Fair 2010 will be the biggest gathering in the Nordic region in several decades to feature the continent's exceptionally rich literature and culture. We want Africa to be visible everywhere in Göteborg in September 2010, says Carin Norberg, Director of the Nordic Africa Institute, Göteborg Book Fair's most important partner for this year's theme.

- We will feature all different regions in Africa - not every country, but representatives from the North, South, East and West. We will invite many well-known authors, but also some emerging younger writers, who write about Africa today. We want to make African literature more visible and the initiative has already succeeded in increasing interest in African literature. Publishers in Africa are very supportive of the project and many already plan to attend the Book Fair. Our goal is to give a voice to the many writers of Africa.

Göteborg Book Fair and the Nordic Africa Institute are working together with SIDA, the Swedish Arts Council, African embassies in Scandinavia and several publishers in planning the 2010 Book Fair.

- There are 53 countries in Africa and nearly 1 000 different languages, so there is an enormous cultural diversity. Many aspects of African literature will be presented at the Book Fair, says Henri Antoine Turpin, the Ambassador of Senegal in Stockholm.

International themes over the years

2009 Spain in focus

A broad Spanish theme was presented at the Book Fair 2009. In the seminars - over forty of them - the emphasis was on modern Spanish literature. Leading writers such as Bernardo Atxaga, Rosa Montero and Javier Marías presented an overview of where Spanish literature is today and where it is headed. Naturally Latin America was also represented when the discussion turns to books written in Spanish. Isabel Allende, Chile/USA, Ignacio Padilla, Mexico, and Horacio Castellanos Moya, El Salvador, just to name a few, broadened the picture still further. Seminars about society, history and much more was also included in the Spanish theme.

The Spanish theme has been coordinated in cooperation with the Spanish Department of Culture, the Spanish Publishers Association, the Cervantes Institute, the Spanish Embassy and many Spanish and Swedish publishers.

More information on the Spanish theme and the Spanish writers at the Göteborg Book Fair:
Brochure in Spanish (PDF-document, 950 kB)
Brochure in English (PDF-document, 967 kB)

"For the Spanish book world, it has been a great pleasure and a very nice experience to participate in the Göteborg Book Fair as Country Guest of Honour. I congratulate the Fair managers for putting this fair among the most important book fairs of the world."
Rogelio Blanco, General Director for Books, Libraries and Archives at the Spanish Ministry of Culture

"Para el mundo del libro de España, ha sido una satisfacción y agradable experiencia la participación en la Feria del Libro de Gotemburgo como País Invitado de Honor. Felicito a los organizadores de la Feria por el logro de situarla entre una de las más importantes del mundo."
Rogelio Blanco Martínez, General Director for Books, Libraries and Archives at the Spanish Ministry of Culture

Themes over the years

Over the years, the Book Fair has especially focused on other countries' literature in addition to the Nordic countries.

In 1996 Austria and Hungary marked their 1100 Years Jubilee with a celebration at the Fair. One of the many participating authors was Imre Kertész, who returned in 2003 as a Nobel Prize Laureate.

"One language, many voices" was the motto of the Flemish-Dutch exhibit at the Fair in 1997 when literature from Flanders and The Netherlands was in focus. 22 Dutch language writers appeared, among them Hugo Claus, Harry Mulisch and Cees Nooteboom.

In 1999 the Fair focused on literature in the German language. 25 authors from Germany, Switzerland and Austria participated, including Martin Walser, Ingrid Noll, Ingo Schulze, Alice Schwarzer, Peter Schneider, Jutta Treiber and Zoë Jenny among others.

In 2001, Indian literature was presented in a series of seminars, and U. R. Anantha Murthy, Krishna Sobti, Githa Hariharan participated.

In 2002 several authors from Africa and Scotland were invited.

In 2003 the Polish literature was in focus. Ryszard Kapuscinski inaugurated the Book Fair, and several Polish authors participated in seminars, readings and discussions. The Book Fair also featured authors from Vietnam, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Brazil.

In 2004 the Fair focused on British literature. More than 40 writers including Margaret Drabble, Robin Robertson, Minette Walters, Joanna Trollope and Kevin Crossley-Holland attended, along with many publishers and agents.

In 2005 our Guest of Honour was Lithuania. 50 writers, poets and other cultural personalities, as well as historians and policitians, took part in the seminar programme and in other activities during the Fair and in the city of Göteborg. Jurga Ivanauskaite, Thomas Venclova, Sigitas Parulskis and Sigitas Geda were a few of the participants.

In 2006 Freedom of Expression was the focal theme. Writers, politicians and other intellectuals attended in conjunction with the International Publishers' Association and the Nordic Centres of the International PEN.
Many writers and publishers who themselves live under threats participated, such as Ayaan Hirisi Ali and Shahla Lahiji. Among the writers within the focal theme two Nobel Prize Laureates participated: Shirin Ebadi and Orhan Pamuk. (Two weeks after the Book Fair it was announced that Orhan Pamuk was the Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature 2006.)

In 2007 Estonia was the Guest of Honour. Established writers and less-well-known writers visited the Fair. Historians, politicians and cultural och social observers participated and presented the literature, the history and an overview of what's happening in Estonia today.

In 2008 Latvia and the Latvian literature was in focus. The spectacular stand, a model of the National Library of Latvia which is currently under construction, captured great attention. A delegation of 100 people from Latvia contributed to more than 40 events. Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis inaugurated the Book Fair.