Time for Books
From Today at Leipzig liest extra the Spotlight Is on the Book Industry
Entertaining, informative and full of variety – Leipzig liest extra, part of the Leipzig Book Fair, offers visitors the opportunity from 27 to 30 May to experience the diversity of literature after a two-year break due to the pandemic, partly via live stream and partly in person. For four days across 80 locations in Leipzig, the spotlights will be on books, their creators and the inspiring power they hold. At over 350 readings, talks and debates by authors from Germany and abroad taking place live in Leipzig, new books for readers young and old will be unveiled, debates on current political and socio-political issues will be held and exciting entertainment will be on offer. Authors who are unable to attend in person will be connected via live stream. At long last for our visitors, certain venues with outdoor areas will be opening their doors again to the public in accordance with the regulations in force, enabling personal encounters between reading fans and authors. You can find the programme at www.leipziger-buchmesse.de. where information on in-person, digital and hybrid events is updated daily. All events at Leipzig liest extra will also be streamed free of charge via the website www.leipziger-buchmesse.de.
„With Leipzig liest extra, we have created a format that is both flexible and creative, reflecting the cornerstones of the Leipzig Book Fair – visibility for literature and the book market, inspiration for reading fans and public discourse in society – while also extending this into the digital realm", explains Martin Buhl-Wagner, Managing Director of Leipziger Messe. "Furthermore, Leipzig liest extra is an important event for Leipziger Messe. It proves that even in challenging times, our platform can offer the industry the publicity it urgently needs – both face-to-face and digitally".
Oliver Zille, Director of the Leipzig Book Fair and organiser of Leipzig liest extra, adds: "We have succeeded in putting together this special edition of Europe's largest reading festival under these exceptional circumstances thanks to the support of our many partners and colleagues. We are excited about the next few days when the whole city will once again celebrate the book industry – authors, publishers, booksellers, translators and many more – and give it the publicity it deserves. In March 2022, we look forward to welcoming audiences in person again to a Leipzig Book Fair packed full of chance encounters and discoveries."
In the Spirit of Understanding: Johny Pitts and László F. Földényi
To kick off Leipzig liest extra, the Board of Trustees for the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding – the City of Leipzig, the Free State of Saxony, the German Publishers & Booksellers Association and Leipziger Messe – will be making a powerful statement on the power of understanding. During the opening event, broadcast live from St. Nicholas Church on 26 May from 7 pm, the Board of Trustees will pay tribute to two authors at the same time when the winners of the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding for both 2021 and 2020 will be accepting their awards: the British Johny Pitts for "Afropean: Notes from Black Europe" and the Hungarian László F. Földényi for "In Praise of Melancholy. Enigmatic Messages".
A Look Behind the Scenes: Literary Perspectives on the World
Africa, South America and the countries bordering the Mediterranean and the Adriatic are some of the places German-speaking tourists yearn to visit. Yet what's behind the shiny touristic façades? How do authors from these countries and regions perceive their own homelands? Visitors, listeners and viewers can find out for themselves at the events of Portugal Reads – A Preview of the Host Country 2022, with Portuguese-language literature at the Literaturhaus Leipzig on 28 May. Same day, same place but at a different time: "Common Ground. Literature from South-East Europe" is staging a reading night starting at 8 pm with the title "Archipelago Yugoslavia – From 1991 to Today" focussing among other things on the multi-ethnic state, its disintegration and the aftermath, and also including access to the digital Balkan Film Week from 25 to 27 May. Numerous international contributors from the Nordic countries, France, Israel, the Netherlands, Hungary and the Czech Republic, among others, will be adding their different views of the world.
Authors From Germany and Abroad in Discussion
Outstanding literature to broaden your mind is also on offer in the ARD Forum programme series, The Blue Sofa (by Bertelsmann, ZDF, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and 3sat), Die Unabhängigen (The Independents) and the Leipzig liest evening. The ARD cultural journalists will be presenting around 50 authors and their books in a live stream. The Blue Sofa, organised by Bertelsmann, ZDF, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and 3sat, goes on air from the KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig with 44 authors. The KONGRESSHALLE will also be the stage for the Leipzig liest evening with Christoph Hein and the premiere event of his new novel "Guldenberg" on 29 May from 7 pm.
From poetry collections to novels and non-fiction – the Kurt Wolff Foundation and the Leipzig Book Fair will showcase the wide range of independent publishers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland in a total of 21 readings at the Haus des Buches and the Lindenfels Westflügel. The Kurt Wolff Prize, recognising independent publishers, will be presented this year on 28 May at 1 pm in the KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig. The L3 – Lange Leipziger Lesenacht 2021 will focus on new German-language literary works, including numerous debuts, on 27 and 28 May, from 6 pm to midnight on three stages at the Moritzbastei and via live stream. Between 10 am and 8 pm on 28 and 29 May, several authors will be broadcasting live from Leipzig's Hugendubel store without an audience, at an event called "Leipziger Büchermenschen stellen sich vor" ("Leipzig book people introduce themselves").
And The Prize Goes To...
On 28 May prize winners and the general public alike will find out which authors and translators are to receive this year's Leipzig Book Fair Prize in the three categories of Fiction, Non-Fiction/Essay Writing and Translation. At 4 pm, the 17 nominated authors and translators will be presented live on air from the KONGRESSHALLE and the winners announced. Award-winning books for kids & young adults will be honoured on 27 May at 10 am with Der Lesekompass (The Reading Compass). The Seraph fantasy prize will also be awarded live on air on 27 May at 5 pm in the KONGRESSHALLE, followed by a fantasy reading from 7:30 pm.
Leipziger Autorenrunde (Author Workshops) – Digital Marketing Tools
Digitisation is the word on everybody's lips. But how can authors use these tools to their advantage, and what digital instruments can they use to generate visibility for themselves and their works? Under the heading "Das digitale Wir – digital, zusammen, weitermachen" (The digital we – digital, together, keep going), the Leipziger Autorenrunde (Author Workshops) will be exploring such questions on 29 May between 10 am and 5 pm. Author and lecturer Diana Hillebrand, editor and publisher Elisabeth Ruge, author Matthias Matting and lawyer Tobias Kiwitt, among others, will be sharing fascinating insights. The Leipziger Autorenrunde is organised and implemented as part of Leipzig liest extra together with publisher and community conceptualiser Leander Wattig.
Mange Comic-Con with Virtual Cosplay Competition
As part of Leipzig liest extra, the Manga Comic-Con will be hosting the Leipzig Community Cosplay Contest online. Between 27 and 29 May, fans of manga, comics and cosplay will vote online to choose the winner out of the 40 best competition entries selected by a jury. This is followed by an award ceremony on 30 May: First place will be rewarded with a guaranteed entry in the Leipzig Cosplay Competition for the Manga Comic-Con 2022.
Note for Media Representatives
There is no need for traditional accreditation this year; media representatives wishing to attend an event should contact the respective organiser and venue. You can find these in the programme database at: www.leipziger-buchmesse.de/de/programm/ . Journalists should send accreditation requests for events in the KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig to j.luecke@leipziger-messe.de . For all Leipzig Book Fair events (to be found in the programme database) at Leipzig liest extra, journalists will be required to show a negative test result from that day in order to be allowed on site. Journalists have the opportunity to test themselves free of charge in the KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig (Pfaffendorfer Straße 31). However, to avoid long waiting times we recommend making use of other test centres.
About Leipzig liest extra – a Leipzig Book Fair Event
The Leipzig Book Fair 2021 has had to be cancelled due to the Corona pandemic. In order to still bring authors and readers together, this year the Leipzig Book Fair is organising Leipzig liest extra (Leipzig reads extra) – featuring around 350 events in the Leipzig city area, as well as award ceremonies and digital encounters. Selected events will also be streamed on the Leipzig Book Fair website in order to reach a wider audience. #Leipzigliestextra #lbm21