Italy to be guest of honour at 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair

Italy has been announced as the guest of honour at the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF), which will be held from 18-22 October 2023.

FBF director Juergen Boos said in a statement that ‘a new spirit of optimism can be observed in Italy’s cultural scene’. ‘The Italian book market underwent a period of dynamic upheaval and drastic change in recent years—including the consolidation of publishing houses as well as new bookstore concepts and the new book fair Tempo di Libri in Milan. A positive energy can now be felt everywhere,’ said Boos.

President of the Association of Italian Publishers Ricardo Franco Levi said the occasion will offer Italy ‘the opportunity to present itself as a key protagonist within the German cultural scene for an entire year’ and the chance to confirm publishing as the ‘leading cultural industry’ in the country.

As previously reported by Books+Publishing, Spain was announced as the 2021 guest of honour in November 2017, while the guest of honour for 2022 has yet to be announced.

Since 1976, FBF has hosted a guest of honour to showcase the literature and culture of a particular country or region. Upcoming guests of honour are Georgia (2018), Norway (2019) and Canada (2020).

Category: International news