Events

The invention of the printing press gave the religion-fueled technophobes the right to condemn it as a work of the Devil. To no avail: It was not long before printed books earned an exclusive status – too exclusive, it may seem! Today it may appear books are placed on a too high a pedestal – so high that hardly anyone has the will to climb up to it, especially when television and the Internet are close at hand and offer more to the lazy mind. And yet, the books survive because they have long been detached from the image of books as mere products of technology. They have become inseparable from our lives, moving into the background, always present. Books are the most convenient attachment to our lives and have never gone out of style.

Literature may be an artificial paradise, but it is the only paradise we'll ever know, rewarding us with an addiction that lasts for a lifetime. While books cannot substitute life – it is not the purpose of art to replace what cannot be replaced – they remain the last defense against the aggressive and senseless media ramble which assaults our humanity and our sanity.

Books are neither simple goods for sale, nor empty words printed on paper. We intend to make the Book Fair more than a vulgar sales fair – to make it into a safe haven for book lovers. Follow the paths through our artificial paradise – the Forum, the Comic Book Venue, the Chathouse, the Agora... Our exciting and engaging side events will help you cross the bridge to the magical world of books.