The Slovenian national stand, organised by the Slovenian Book Agency (JAK), will once again be located in Hall 4.1 (D60). The stand will showcase the latest publications from Slovenian publishers, as well as recent translations of works by Slovenian authors. Representatives from the publishing houses Goga, Malinc, Miš, Pivec, and Sodobnost will be present at dedicated workstations on the stand. Mladinska knjiga and Beletrina will also attend the fair with their own stands, located near the Slovenian national stand.

Slovenian Events During the Fair

Punk-Museum: Esad Babačić in Conversation with Thomas Podhostnik
Wednesday, 15 October, 20.00
Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm (Waldschmidtstraße 4, Frankfurt)
An engaging discussion featuring Esad Babačić, Slovenian poet, author, journalist, and co-founder and curator of the Museum of Punk Culture, and German writer Thomas Podhostnik. Babačić's novel Punk-Museum, translated by Andreas Leben and published by the Berlin-based publisher Hirnkost, will serve as the focal point of the event.
The conversation will delve into Babačić's books, his distinctive writing style, and the influence of punk culture on his work. The discussion will explore the distinctions between prose and poetry in his writing and will be complemented by readings of selected passages from the novel, offering a deeper insight into his themes and artistic approach.
The event will be held in German.

We are also continuing the series of professional panels that began in 2023, when Slovenia was the Guest of Honour. As part of this ongoing programme, two professional events will take place at the fairgrounds.

How Books Travel Today. Exploring Trends and Developments in the European Markets for Translated Books.
Thursday, 16 October, 13.00
Centre Stage (Hall 4.1, B68)
How have literary translations in Europe changed over the last decade? How has the ongoing transformation of the book industry impacted translations? The forthcoming “Translation Report” will uniquely compile a wide range of historical and current data from large and small markets across Europe, providing a comprehensive overview of this highly relevant cultural industry.
Which languages are the main source languages for translations, and is the overall number of literary fiction translations growing or decreasing? How can these trends be tracked and measured since the closure of UNESCO's "Index Translationum"?
Will the rapid growth in reading English among young people change the translation landscape in continental Europe? Are self-published authors organising their own translations, and what effect will this have on the publishing landscape?
What role does artificial intelligence play in all this? How will an AI-dominated publishing environment alter the concept of text in the original language and in translation? What will happen to rights trading once machine translation and AI voice generators can automatically translate books and convert them into audiobooks?
Speakers: dr. Miha Kovač and Anja Kamenarič from Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Rüdiger Wischenbart, consultant and analyst, and Yana Genova, cultural consultant and researcher, who will be moderating the panel.
Organised by the Slovenian Book Agency in cooperation with ThinkPub/Creative Europe and the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport of Austria.

Graphic Novels in Germany, Czechia, and Slovenia: Exploring the Evolution of the Genre
Friday, 17 October, 11.00
Frankfurt International Stage (Foyer of Halls 5.1/6.1)
The panel will explore how the genre has evolved in countries with distinct traditions of comics and graphic storytelling — from Slovenia and Czechia’s unique cultural landscapes to the contrasting histories of East and West Germany, their influence from the broader Western comic scene, and how different social, political, and artistic contexts have shaped the graphic novel’s growth in these regions.
Speakers: Jindřich Janíček, illustrator and designer, Rita Fürstenau, illustrator, author and publisher at Rotopol, Tanja Skale, editor at Stripburger, and Jakob Hoffman, head of Yippie! Comics Festival for Children and editor at POLLE International: Comics Magazine, who will be moderating the panel.
Organised by the Slovenian Book Agency in cooperation with Czech Literary Centre.