Gothenburg Book Fair
The Gothenburg Book Fair (also known as Göteborg Book Fair, Bok & Bibliotek, Bok- och biblioteksmässan or Bokmässan) is an annual event held in Gothenburg, Sweden, since 1985.[1][2]
Overview
[edit]The first Gothenburg Book Fair, then known as Bibliotek 85, occurred in 1985.[3]
It started primarily as a trade fair (for librarians and teachers), but is now the largest literary festival in Scandinavia and the second largest book fair in Europe after the Frankfurt Book Fair.[4] The book fair usually takes place in the last week of September each year. It has around 100,000 visitors and 900 exhibitors annually.[1][5] It was reported in 2004 that the fair generated 170 million SEK of revenue for the city of Gothenburg.[6]
In 2017, 127 authors signed a petition in Dagens Nyheter stating they would be boycotting the book fair due to the participation of far-right newspaper Nya Tider.[3] The book fair received about 25% less visitors in 2017, which was attributed to the boycott and concerns about a Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR) march planned in close proximity.[7] Several NMR members were later put on trial for trying to break through the barriers at the fair.[8]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was held virtually in 2020.[9][10]
There was controversy in 2025 after fair talks were advertised by the Sweden–Israel Friendship Association under the titles of "Den fabricerade svälten i Gaza" (English: The fabricated famine in Gaza) and "UNRWA – länken mellan terror och FN?" (English: UNRWA – the link between terrorism and the UN?). The titles were changed after criticism.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Bok & Bibliotek". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2011.(subscription required)
- ^ "Vad är Bok & Bibliotek?" (in Swedish). Bok & Bibliotek. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ a b Thente, Jonas (2018-09-21). "Sju viktiga händelser i Bokmässans historia" [Seven important events in the history of the Gothenburg Book Fair]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Archived from the original on 2023-09-27. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
- ^ Kärnstrand, Moa (25 September 2008). "Dags för årets största bokfest". metro.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ "Statistik Bokmässan" (in Swedish). Bok & Bibliotek. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ Johansson, Lars (2004-09-23). "Upplagt för besöksrekord" [Set for record visitor numbers]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ Littorin, Jens (2017-10-01). "Svaga siffror för Bokmässan – tappade många besökare" [Weak figures for the Gothenburg Book Fair – many visitors lost]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ Ferhatovic, Marina (2019-09-24). "Oenighet om NMR:s symboler under rättegångsstarten" [Disagreement over NMR symbols at the start of the trial]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Archived from the original on 2019-09-30. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ Schüldt, Greta (2020-08-21). "Bokförlagen försiktigt positiva trots corona" [Publishers cautiously optimistic despite coronavirus]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Archived from the original on 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ "Amanda Lind: Kulturlivet lever trots det svåra läget" [Amanda Lind: Cultural life thrives despite the difficult situation]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ Ivarsson, Torbjörn (2025-09-24). "Samtal om Gaza fick ny rubrik – Bokmässans chef: "Onödigt provokativt"" [Discussion about Gaza given new title – Book Fair director: “Unnecessarily provocative”]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2025-09-24. Retrieved 2025-10-19.