Despite the fact that the Kingdom of Bohemia and Czechia have been landlocked throughout their history, William Shakespeare placed them on the coast in his play ‘The Winter's Tale’. A geographical joke, or perhaps a mistake made by a genius? The opposite is true – it is a timeless metaphor: Shakespeare's canonical text identified the country as an integral part of the world’s ocean of literature. And Czech literature has lived up to this vision through its own humour, breaking stereotypes, and the ability to see itself as others see it. Although the largest body of water in the real Czechia is Lake Lipno, with an area of only 49 square kilometres, the country gives the impression of riding the same wave as the infinite expansion of world culture, washed by the tide of an invisible sea of mutual inspiration. That is why ‘Czechia – a Country on the Coast’ is the theme and central metaphor of the Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2026.