The Gothenburg Book Fair is one of the most important and largest cultural events in Scandinavia. With more visitors than any other cultural events in the Nordics, GBF is a vibrant platform where publishers, agents, writers and readers from all over the word meet to explore Nordic literature and buy and sell literary rights. The Gothenburg Book Fair is a celebration of the written word in Gothenburg, Sweden.
South Korea
Sixty years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Sweden is a good reason why the fair offers the stage to South Korea which is invited as the Guest of Honor. The country’s literature, publishing and culture will be presented through several of the foremost South Korean authors.

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The collaborative partners for this endeavor are the South Korean ministry of culture, the Korean Publishers Association, the Writers Association of Korea, and the Literature Translation Institute of Korea.
Gender Equality
In 1919, Sweden’s Parliament (Sveriges riksdag) voted to pass universal suffrage. The Book Fair’s coming Gender Equality theme relates to the centennial thereof and will take a look into the future.

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Media and information literacy
On 1 July 2018, the written policy of Swedish schools was strengthened with a clearer mission concerning media and information proficiency and source criticism (MIL). The 2019 Book Fair, will host the UNESCO conference Global Media and Information Literacy Week. Additional partners are The Swedish Teachers’ Union, the Swedish Library Association, and UR (Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company).
A Celebration of the Written Word In Gothenburg, Sweden
The fair is also a manifestation of arts and culture, a four day long literary festival, a tribute to freedom of expression and a place for readers and writers to meet and celebrate the power of stories.

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“Our goal, through the theme Media and information literacy at the Book Fair, is to give librarians and teachers increased knowledge and valuable tools in their daily work”, Annica Andersson, editor at the Book Fair, says.

The Gothenburg Book Fair started in 1985 as a conference for librarians with 5,000 visitors the first time. The fair now attracts one million visitors annually.
The literary festival 2019 takes place on 26 – 29 September at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre.
A Celebration of the Written Word I Gothenburg, Sweden, written by Tor Kjolberg