Litprom’s projects will be continued at Frankfurter Buchmesse
The members of Litprom e.V. have decided to dissolve the association as of December 31, 2024. All important projects will be continued at Frankfurter Buchmesse. Litprom’s employees will now be employed by Frankfurter Buchmesse.
For more than 40 years, Litprom has been promoting translated literature from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Arab world to the German book market. This task remains significant.
Despite extensive search for additional institutional funding, the Litprom office lacked sustainable financing. Therefore, board members of Litprom explored various options, resulting in a recommendation to dissolve the association. Litprom’s members assembly voted in favor of this recommendation on December 12, 2024.
Litprom’s employees Petra Kassler and Marcella Melien were hired by Frankfurter Buchmesse as of January 1st 2025, joining the International Projects team. They will continue working on the most relevant projects, such as the translation funding programme, events, international collaborations and book recommendations. Litprom’s list of reading recommendations »Weltempfänger« will be revised and re-launched.
Litprom was founded in 1980 as »Society for the Promotion of literature from Africa, Asia and Latin America« and has always worked closely together with Frankfurter Buchmesse.
A trip to the Philippines
Register now | Session in English via Zoom
Get to know seven exciting players in the current Philippine literary scene. Authors and publishers will introduce themselves and one selected title each.
Registration Link:
https://buchmesse-de.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Eu8043PoTTGXBcHa0DvVbw
LiBeraturpreis 2023 and 2024
The board of Litprom e.V. made several offers to Adania Shibli for an award ceremony or another way of awarding the prize. No agreement on a format could be reached.
The board of Litprom e.V. regrets that it was not possible to award the prize in 2023 and is taking this as an opportunity to suspend the award in 2024 and to reconsider the concept and award procedure of the LiBeraturpreis.
Published on July 29th, 2024.
Apology to Adania Shibli
A message with this wording has been sent to Adania Shibli on October 15, 2023, on behalf of Litprom board and team. We would like to hereby share its content publicly.
We would like to formally apologise to Adania Shibli for the difficulties that have arisen for her in connection with the planned presentation of the Liberatur Prize.
It was never our intention to question the awarding of the prize to Adania Shibli. We firmly reject the accusations and defamations made against her and her book in parts of the press as unfounded.
With the escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas and against the background of the polarising situation in Germany as well, we thought it right to hold the award ceremony at a different time in a less politically charged atmosphere — also to avoid possible disturbances or even attacks on Adania Shibli’s person. It should be noted that there was never any question of cancelling the award or even withdrawing it altogether! We considered this to have been agreed with the author when we made the decision public. This was a misunderstanding and mistake, as we later realised.
We would now like to reconsider together with the author in what form we can hold the award ceremony for Adania Shibli’s important book as soon as possible in a dignified manner appropriate to her work, taking into account what has happened and the unbearable situation in the world.
Litprom e.V. board & team
Published on Januray 17, 2024.
LiBeratur Award 2023
The winner is Adania Shibli | Palestine/Germany
October 16, 2023
Due to the war started by Hamas, under which millions of people in Israel and Palestine are suffering, the organiser Litprom e.V. decided to not hold the award ceremony of the LiBeraturpreis at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Litprom is looking for a suitable format and setting for the event at a later point. Awarding the prize to Adania Shibli was never in question. Litprom firmly rejects the accusations and defamations made against the author and the novel in parts of the press as unfounded.
Palestinian author Adania Shibli is this year’s winner of Litprom’s LiBeraturpreis, an award honouring female writers from the Global South.
Important note for authors
Litprom does not operate like an ordinary literary agency.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to review books in individual cases. We only do scouting or reviews for German publishers as part of larger projects or collaborations.
Please refrain from sending us your manuscripts, as we are unable to forward them to suitable publishers. If you are looking for a publishing house, feel welcome to search our Catalogue of Sources.
Litprom as your entry to the German book market
What can we do for foreign literary institutions in the Global South?
Are you currently trying to enter the German-speaking book market? Would you like to build-up your own business network and find your books being translated into German and being sold in German-speaking countries?
We provide you with an extended network ranging from German publishers specialized on international literature to renowned translators and important business multipliers for your market entry.
We have been working in the field of promoting international literature to the German market for almost forty years and bring in the necessary network and work experience.
Litprom is headed by the president of Frankfurt Book Fair, Juergen Boos, underlining the strong connection to and within the German book market.
Contact: Marcella Melien
Phone: +49-(0)69 – 2102 246 | e-mail: melien@buchmesse.de
Sheikh Zayed Book Award – 2024 winners
Sheikh Zayed Book Award Announces Winners of its 18th Edition Abu Dhabi, 04 Apr 2024
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has announced winners of its 18th edition following a meeting of its Board of Trustees.
The winner of the Literature category of the Award is Egyptian writer Reem Bassiouney (photo) for her novel ‘Al Halwani...Thulathiyat al-Fatimiyeen’ (Al Halwani: The Fatimid Trilogy), published by Nahdet Misr Publishing, Printing and Distribution in 2022. Bassiouney is working on a project to write historical novels about Egypt in the Middle Ages, where she seeks to shed light on the Egyptian character with narratives that intertwine poetry, architecture, and mythology, while underscoring the human dimension. The author works to construct the narrative of historical and social development in Egypt in that era, using a narrative tone that aligns with the nature of that extended historical period and its intellectual and social dimensions.
Submissions for the 18th edition were the highest in the Award’s history, with a total of 4,240 nominations received, marking a 35% increase over last year’s 3,151 submissions. Additionally, the number of participating countries grew to 74, including 19 Arab nations and 55 countries from around the world.
The winner of the Cultural Personality of the Year award will be announced in the upcoming few weeks. The winners will be honoured at a ceremony organised by the ALC during the 33rd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which is held annually at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.