The 77th edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair, held from 15 to 19 October, will feature a significant Catalan presence at a stand that represents Catalan literature and the publishing sector under the slogan Catalonia, Land of Books; Barcelona, City of Literature . The stand forms part of the Department of Culture’s ongoing initiatives to promote Catalan literature and foster the internationalisation of the publishing industry.
The stand, organised by the Catalan Institute for Cultural Companies (ICEC) under its internationalisation brand Catalan Arts;, together with the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL) and Barcelona City Council, and with the participation of the Association of Catalan Language Publishers, the Publishers’ Guild of Catalonia, and the Institute of Balearic Studies, presents a unified image of the sector and provides professionals with a space for business and meetings in optimal conditions.
Internationalisation of Catalan Literature
Once again, the Institut Ramon Llull has arranged approximately eighty meetings with publishers from around the world to continue promoting the translation of Catalan literature into other languages, consolidating its presence in established markets, and opening new opportunities in both strategic and emerging markets. The IRL supports international publishing projects through its translation, promotion, and illustrated book publication grant programmes. In the past five years, more than 1,800 translations of original works in Catalan have been published.
Coinciding with the Frankfurt Book Fair, on 15 October the University of Frankfurt will open the exhibition “The Catalan Lands in Frankfurt: Language and Culture, Literature and Research.” A large part of the exhibition is dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Catalan Library housed at the German university—the largest Catalan-themed library outside the Catalan-speaking territories, with a collection of some 35,000 volumes.
The project was conceived by the Catalan Lectorship at the University and has the academic support of Professors Tilbert Dídac Stegmann, Jacopo Torregrossa, and Romana Radwimmer. The exhibition will remain open until 12 December.
Publishing Industry
This year, a total of forty publishers will attend the Catalan stand: Alba Editorial, Angle Editorial, Animallibres, Blackie Books, BMC Edicions, Club Editor, Edicions Bromera, Cossetània Edicions, Editorial Base, Editorial Flamboyant, Editorial GG, Editorial Sentir, Editorial Stenella, Editorial Vicens Vives, Eumo Editorial, Flor Edicions, Folioscopio, Gemser Publications, Grup62, La Topera Editorial, Libros del Asteroide, Manifest Llibres, Mosquito Books Barcelona, Norma Editorial, Obrador Editorial, Open Books, Pagès Editors, Profit-Amat Editorial, Raig Verd Editorial, Shackleton Books, Símbol Editors, Takatuka, Tibidabo Edicions, Triangle Books, Vegueta Ediciones, Verso Libros, Vibop Edicions, Voliana Edicions, and Zahorí Books.
The ICEC has published a booklet containing full information about the participating publishers, which will be distributed to accredited international professionals.
In addition to the publishers represented at the Catalan stand, up to twenty publishing groups with their own stands will also be present in Frankfurt, including Anagrama, Editorial Casals, ECC Ediciones, Edebé Educación, Grup Planeta, Herder Editorial, Hoaki Books, Lecta, Larousse Editorial, Penguin Random House, Quaderns Crema–Acantilado, RBA, Tusquets Editores, and Universitat de Barcelona Edicions. Other Catalan publishers will operate from the stand of the Federation of Spanish Publishers’ Guilds.
On 15 October, in a trip organised by the Publishers’ Guild of Catalonia, thirty representatives from other Catalan publishing houses will visit the fair and will have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with its operations.
The Frankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair is a key annual event for Catalan publishers and other stakeholders in the book production chain. Each year, the fair brings together more than 7,000 companies showcasing their latest titles, and it is estimated that approximately 80% of the world’s annual publishing rights contracts are signed during this period. In recent years, Catalan professional participation has steadily increased. It should be noted that Barcelona accounts for more than 50% of the publishing industry’s total output and turnover in Spain.
Over the past twenty-three years, the ICEC and the IRL have organised and promoted the participation of Catalan publishers and literature in major international literary events, including the Guadalajara International Book Fair (where Barcelona will be Guest of Honour in 2025), the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Festival du Livre de Paris, the Gothenburg Book Fair, the Turin International Book Fair, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the Buenos Aires International Book Fair, and the London Book Fair. In 2025, the list will expand to include the Angoulême International Comics Festival, where the ICEC had a stand for the first time.
