Every year, the Leipzig Book Fair is accompanied by the festival „Leipzig liest“, during which authors, translators, and publishers traditionally meet with German-speaking readers. There will be 2,000 events presenting new releases and trends in German-language literature, as well as works primarily from Central and Eastern Europe.
Twelve authors from the Czech Republic will participate in the reading festival. They will present their works in German during the fair week from Monday to Saturday: Zuzana Říhová (Das Geheimnis der Verwandlung; published by Wortpalast; translated by Kathrin Janka); Michal Ajvaz (Passagen unter Glas; published by Allee Verlag; translated by Veronika Siska); Petra Dvořáková (Die Krähen; published by Anthea Verlag; translated by Hana Hadas); Jiří Hájíček (370 m über NN; published by Karl Rauch Verlag; translated by Kristina Kallert); Miroslav Hlaučo (Pfingsten. Erinnerungen an ein Ende der Welt; published by Anthea Verlag; translated by Raija Hauck); Markéta Pilátová (Die Maronenmatrone; published by Drava Verlag; translated by Mirko Kraetsch); Marek Torčík (Was die Zeit nicht nimmt; published by Anthea Verlag; translated by Mirko Kraetsch); Vratislav Maňák (Mit Wittgenstein in der Schwulensauna; published by Karl Rauch Verlag; translated by Lena Dorn); Marita Kelbl (Weder Junge noch Mädchen; published by Anthea Verlag; translated by Barbora Schnelle); Iryna Zahladko (Wie sich in Krankheit schminken; published by Wortpalast; translated by Martina Lisa); Antonín Zhořec (Ich piekse den Sonnensturm; published by Wortpalast; translated by Markéta Blažejová and Thomas Stefflbauer); Marie Iljašenko (Menschen hören überhaupt nur sehr wenig; published by Anthea Verlag, translated by Julia Miesenböck).
Their events will take place not only on the exhibition stages at the fairgrounds, but also at the Literaturhaus Leipzig, the Mädler Art Forum gallery, and the Schaubühne Lindenfels theater, where a special evening of Czech literature entitled „Queer Central Europa: Körper, Worte, Saunen“ has been prepared.
The Schaubühne Lindenfels in Leipzig will also feature artist and illustrator Barbara Šalamounová, who was born in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt. She will recall the work of her Czech-German parents, artists Jiří and Eva Natus-Šalamounová, who are connected with Leipzig in Saxony. Her guest will be her Berlin colleague, artist Volker Schlecht. Visitors to the event can also look forward to a film screening of fairy tales about Maxipes Fík.
Markéta Pilátová will give a special performance for students at the Neue Nikolaischule grammar school in Leipzig.
Translator and publisher Ondřej Cikán (Kétos publishing house), winner of the Austrian State Prize for Translation into German, will join publisher Danuše Siering (Black Swan Media) at the national stand to embark on a journey through Czech and Czechoslovak literary treasures. They will discuss the current possibilities for publishing books.
Events featuring Czech authors will be moderated by literary translators Christina Frankenberg and Stefanie Bose; Libuše Černá, director of the globale Bremen festival; author and Germanist Daniel Schmidt; publicist Mirko Schwanitz; literary scholar Maximilian Mengeringhaus; MDR Kultur radio station editor Tino Dallmann; and Martin Krafl, director of the Czech Literary Center. Excerpts from German-language books will be read by actresses Steffi Böttger and Laura Richter and actor Stephan Wolf-Schönburg.
As part of the Czechia 2026 Author Mobility Program, five additional literary events organized by the publishing houses Das Wunderhorn, Allee, Anthea, and Kētos were supported for this year's Leipzig Book Fair. They will present further Czech works translated into German.
Title picture: Leipziger Buchmesse, Niclas Schmidt