Czech Republic to appear as guest of honour at Frankfurt Book Fair with 'A Country on the Coast' motto

A puzzling motto, a seaside setting

Inside the 2,300-square-metre guest-of-honour pavilion, designers plan to transform the hall "in eine verspielte und verträumte Landschaft." Round inflatable elements of various sizes will serve simultaneously as room dividers, seating and projection screens. A robot will draw comics live at the pavilion, and artificial intelligence will be used to project quotes from Czech literature from a lighthouse and buoys, extending the maritime theme into the architecture of the exhibition.

Program director Martin Krafl, who is in charge of the Czech guest-of-honour appearance, spoke of "Wellen der Inspiration" and "Gedanken, die zu neuen Ufern aufbrechen." He said the new Czech government had placed no pressure on the selection of authors. "Es gab keinen Druck, was die Auswahl der Autorinnen und Autoren betrifft," Krafl said. Around 75 authors will travel to Frankfurt, among them Jaroslav Rudiš, Marek Torčík, Radka Denemarková and Kateřina Tučková. Dora Kaprálová's most recent novel, "Die Mariborhypnose," has already won several awards and is to appear in German translation in the autumn.

Books, authors and the German-language reader

A total of 212 books from the Czech Republic have been newly published in German translation for the fair. Kaprálová said she hoped the appearance would shift German-language readers' perception of Czech writing. "Die Basis sind oft Klischees," she said, "als ginge es nur um Kneipen oder um Züge." She said she had nothing against pubs and trains as literary motifs, but stressed that Czech literature was far more diverse. "Es geht vielleicht nur um anderen einen Blickwinkel," she added.

Krafl said visitors encountering Czech literature for the first time typically react in two stages. "Die Menschen sind zuerst überrascht und dann neugierig," he said. He described the current generation of Czech writers as living fully within contemporary Europe. "Diese junge Generation lebt ja im heutigen Europa und erlebt die Instabilität der heutigen Zeiten," Krafl said.

Politics, pressure and the question of a boycott

The political backdrop has added sensitivity to the project. In the Czech cultural sector, some voices have discussed a possible boycott of the fair, a debate that Kaprálová called counterproductive. "Wir müssen vorbereitet sein, uns dort zu äußern," she said, adding: "Aber wir als Künstler und Künstlerinnen sollten trotzdem eine Performance oder so etwas machen." She declined to say publicly what form such a gesture might take, saying only: "Darüber denken wir gerade nach."

A year of Czech culture across four countries

Boos drew a parallel to the 2024 guest-of-honour appearance by Italy, when authors such as Roberto Saviano were left off Rome's official delegation because of disagreements with the Italian right-wing government. "Das gehört zum Gastlandauftritt dazu," Boos said, describing such debates as a normal part of the format. He noted that the Czech Republic has had three culture ministers in recent years but insisted on a clear principle: "Die Literatur ist frei, die Kultur ist frei und lässt sich nicht oktroyieren." It has not yet been decided who will speak as the official Czech representative at the fair's opening.

Beyond the Frankfurt main programme, roughly 100 events connected to the Czech guest-of-honour year are planned in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The events will extend across other art forms, making the fair's guest-of-honour appearance effectively a year-long showcase of Czech culture rather than a one-week event.