Weimar Triangle - Guest of honour at Leipzig Book Fair 2027
"Beziehungsweise Europa": Poland, France and Germany at Leipzig Book Fair 2027
In 2027, for the first time in its history, Leipzig Book Fair will welcome three countries jointly as guest countries: Poland, France and Germany.
The Weimar Triangle symbolises a special bond between the three countries. At the 2027 Leipzig Book Fair, it will become a joint cultural project: a space for literature, translation and exchange, where different perspectives can come together and new connections can be forged.
The joint presentation is being organised by the Polish Institute, the Institut français and the Goethe-Institut.
Relationship as a principle
The visual concept focuses on the ‘in-between’: the relationships, connections and encounters between Poland, France and Germany.
This principle translates into a dynamic typographical system. Elements change their position, spacing and arrangement, constantly forming new relationships with one another.
In this way, relationship is not merely depicted, but becomes the central design principle.
Meaning emerges in the space between.
Visual concept and design: NODE Berlin Oslo
Three languages, many perspectives: Beziehungsweise Europa
Being the Guest of Honour of a book fair is always an opportunity to showcase one’s own literature and culture, to present new voices and to engage in dialogue with a wide audience. At the same time, it is also a challenge to represent a country as comprehensively as possible. But how does this task change when not one country, but three countries are invited together?
The joint programme as guest country focuses on the literary, cultural and social ties between the three countries, and their history, present and future within Europe. “beziehungsweise europa” explores what unites us, where different experiences and perspectives converge, and how we wish to shape our relationships in the future. Literature serves as the starting point for exchange, encounters and new perspectives. The programme is intended both as a laboratory of ideas and as an invitation to share, exchange and engage. And as relationships in their various forms are at the heart of the project, they also shape many of the event formats.
How do we read?
What was?
What's cooking?
What next?
These are just some of the questions that will be explored in a diverse range of accompanying event formats, from performances and workshops to translation karaoke.
The curatorial team – The people behind the vision
The Guest of Honour programme 2027 will be supported by a tri-national curatorial team. Curators from Poland, France and Germany are working together to develop a programme that highlights the literary, cultural and social links between the three countries and opens up new perspectives.
What topics will take centre stage?
What unexpected encounters will take place?
And how can the Weimar Triangle be experienced as a cultural space?
Get to know the people who are guiding and shaping this process:
Thorsten Dönges, curator Germany
Thorsten Dönges studied German language and literature and history in Bamberg. During the 1997/98 academic year, he taught as an assistant de langue at the Lycée Thibaut de Champagne in Provins, France. Since 2003, he has been a member of staff at the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin (LCB), where, as a curator, he is responsible for the section on contemporary German-language literature and heads the prose writers’ workshop. As an editor, he helps to produce the LCB’s in-house magazine Sprache im Technischen Zeitalter. For many years, he has been a presenter at the International Literature Festival in Leukerbad (Switzerland) and the European Festival of Debut Novels in Kiel. He teaches regularly at the Film University Babelsberg and has also held teaching posts at the University of Bamberg and the Free University of Berlin. Thorsten Dönges is a member of the jury for the Franco-German Franz Hessel Prize.
Karolina Golimowska, curator Poland, Polish Institute
Dr Karolina Golimowska is a literary scholar, translator, presenter and author of short prose, poetry and journalistic pieces. She was born in Aachen, grew up in Warsaw and studied in Berlin and London. Her work has appeared in publications including Sinn und Form, Gazeta Wyborcza, the German-Polish magazine Dialog, Chimera, Wyspa and academic journals. Golimowska holds a PhD in American Studies and teaches at the Free University of Berlin. In 2014, she was awarded the German-Polish Tadeusz Mazowiecki Journalism Prize. From 2018 to 2021, she led the poetry translation workshop VERSschmuggel at the poesiefestival berlin. Since autumn 2024, she has been programme officer for literature and debates at the Polish Institute in Berlin. Her most recent publication is her translation of the poetry collection “Muttertask” (“Matkitaski”) by Uljana Wolf, published by the Polish publishing house Biuro Literackie. She lives in Berlin.
Myriam Louviot, curator France, Institut français Germany
Dr Myriam Louviot studied Comparative Literature and Art History in Strasbourg, where she was awarded a PhD for her thesis on hybridity in French- and English-language postcolonial literature. She lived for several years in Senegal, the United Kingdom and Switzerland; during this time, she taught regularly and led writing workshops as well as publishing and hybrid cultural projects. She has been working for the Institut français in Germany since 2015 and has headed its Office for Books and Publishing since 2020. In this role, she is responsible for the areas of literature, libraries and debates.
Wolf Iro, curator Germany, Goethe-Institut
Dr Wolf Iro studied Comparative Literature at Cambridge and Slavonic Studies at Oxford, Moscow and Munich, where he completed his doctoral thesis on Isaak Babel. Among other roles, he worked as the Goethe-Institut’s programme director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia and headed the Institute in Israel. Since 2025, he has been in charge of the literature department at the Goethe-Institut’s headquarters. He is also the author of various articles and books, most recently „Was jetzt zählt. Gegen den alltäglichen Rechtsextremismus“ (Wagenbach-Verlag).
The project “Weimar Triangle’s Guest of Honour appearance at Leipzig Book Fair 2027” is funded by:
The Polish Institute , as an institution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, is entrusted with the tasks of Polish public and cultural diplomacy. It not only promotes Polish culture abroad, but also aims to spark greater interest and enthusiasm for all aspects of Poland’s multifaceted social life. It also sees itself as a facilitator, a platform and a knowledgeable point of contact for cultural practitioners and artists, as well as for institutions and cultural organisations interested in engaging in exchanges with Poland.
The Institut français Germany is responsible for implementing France’s cultural policy abroad in Germany. Its main tasks are to promote the French language and culture. It comprises a network of 11 Instituts français across 13 different locations. It also cooperates with 12 Franco-German cultural centres. The activities of the Institut français Germany cover four areas: artistic creation, ideas and debate, innovation, and the French language. The project “Weimar Triangle’s Guest of Honour appearance at Leipzig Book Fair 2027” is funded by special grants from the Institut français Paris.
The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, operating worldwide. With 154 institutes currently in 100 countries, it promotes knowledge of the German language, fosters international cultural cooperation and conveys a contemporary image of Germany. Through collaborations with partner organisations in numerous other locations, the Goethe-Institut has a total of around 1,000 contact points worldwide.
The project “Weimar Triangle’s Guest of Honour appearance at Leipzig Book Fair 2027” is funded by special grants from the Federal Foreign Office.