Момант узнагароджання Альгерда Бахарэвіча Ляйпцыгскай кніжнай прэміяй за еўрапейскае паразуменне ў канцэртнай зале Гевандхаус у 2025 годзе. Фота: Leipziger Messe/Jens Schlueter
From March 16 to 22, Leipzig once again becomes Europe’s main book capital. For Belarusian culture, the venue has become especially symbolic after last year, when Alhierd Bacharevič received the prestigious Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding. This year, attention to Belarusian authors remains at its peak.
Already on Monday, March 16, Bibliotop at Leipzig University (Halle 4, E401) will host a large presentation of exile literature and the book “Auf dem Weg zu euch” (“On the Way to You”) with the participation of Tania Artsimovich, Volha Shparaga and Milana Liavitskaya.
Later that evening at 19:30 at Literaturhaus Leipzig, Volha Shparaga will deliver a lecture titled “A Utopia of Caring Politics for the 21st Century,” examining the need for feminist utopias in the modern world. At the same time, Haus des Buches will host the discussion “The Mystery of Transformation” with the participation of Ina Rumiantsava, who will call on European readers to turn their attention to Eastern Europe.
One of the most anticipated events of the programme will be a public appearance by Maria Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak, who, following their release in December 2025, will appear for the first time at such a major international venue. Their meeting, titled “Thoughts and Reflections on Reading and Writing in Conditions of Unfreedom,” will take place on March 17 at 10:00 in the exhibition hall of the Old Town Hall. The discussion will be moderated by Alice Bota, a well-known journalist from the German publication Die Zeit who has long worked extensively on Belarusian issues.
Later the same day at 19:00 at the German National Library, the popular novelist Sasha Filipenka will present his new novel “The Elephant,” a political parable that has already sparked sharp debates in European literary circles.
The main programme will continue in the following days of the fair.
On Thursday, March 19, creative meetings with Sasha Filipenka will take place at 14:00 and 21:00, and on Friday, March 20, at 17:00 a conversation with poet Julia Cimafiejeva will be held.
The Belarusian week will conclude on Saturday, March 21: at 13:00 a major discussion on Belarusian literature in exile will take place, and at 15:00 Volha Hapeyeva will present her works.
This packed schedule of events once again underlines that today the heart of genuine Belarusian literature beats in Leipzig, while in official Minsk book fairs remain a platform for ideological reports of the CIS.
A detailed schedule of Belarusian events can be found here.