The world’s largest book show, the Frankfurt Book Fair, is set to begin its formal opening ceremony on Tuesday at 5:00 PM. The event marks the start of the week-long literary gathering, which traditionally draws massive international attention. The Philippines has been named this year’s Guest of Honor, celebrating its literature and culture throughout the fairgrounds. Among the dignitaries expected for the opening ceremony is Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer.
The fair will be open exclusively to trade visitors starting on Wednesday, before welcoming the general public beginning on Friday. The week will conclude with another traditional highlight: the presentation of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade on Sunday, with this year's honor going to Eastern European historian Karl Schlögel.
The literary spotlight was cast on the Frankfurt Römer on Monday evening with the announcement of the German Book Prize. This year’s prestigious award for the German Novel of the Year went to Swiss writer Dorothee Elmiger for her novel, Die Holländerinnen (The Dutch Women).
The winning work follows a writer who joins a theater group venturing deep into a South American jungle, tracing the footsteps of two Dutch women who disappeared there years ago. The jury highly praised the novel, calling it "an event." They explained that as the group loses its way deeper in the thicket, they begin to tell disturbing stories, pulling readers into a "vortex of fear." The novel, according to the jury, portrays individuals who "fall into their darkest opposite" and indirectly references the contemporary world sinking into self-aggrandizement. Elmiger's writing style was described as "simultaneously distant and yet captivating."
The German Book Prize is considered one of the most renowned literary awards in the Federal Republic. It is conferred annually by the Foundation for Book Culture and Reading Promotion of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels). The head of the association, Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, remarked during the ceremony on the necessity of literature as a place of encounter, urging attendees to "reflect instead of immediately judging."
Elmiger, who was born in Switzerland in 1985, released her debut novel, Einladung an die Waghalsigen, in 2010. She is already familiar with the award process, having been shortlisted for the German Book Prize in 2020 for her work Aus der Zuckerfabrik. As this year's winner, Elmiger receives a grand prize of €25,000. The other shortlisted nominees—Kaleb Erdmann, Jehona Kicaj, Thomas Melle, Fiona Sironic, and Christine Wunnicke—each receive €2,500. Last year, the prize was awarded to Martina Hefter for her novel Hey guten Morgen, wie geht es dir?
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