The Philippines will be “Guest of Honour” at the Germany book fair Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025, including a first appearance at the Leipziger Buchmesse on March 27 to 30.
Senator Loren Legarda, in a news release Friday, shared that Filipino authors’ works, which have been translated into German, will be featured at the 77th Frankfurt book fair on Oct. 15 to 19.
“The Philippines’ presence in Germany is more than a literary offering. It is a call to journey through stories that sail across oceans, voices that weave connections between cultures, and ideas that know no boundaries,” she said in a news release.
The Philippines’ Guest of Honour presentation (PHLGoH2025) is a collaborative effort with the National Book Development Board , in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Department of Foreign Affairs, and Legarda’s office.
The theme, “The Imagination peoples the air,” drawn from José Rizal classic Noli Me Tangere, frames the country’s literary and cultural showcase.
Representatives from the Philippine delegation include Karina Bolasco, founder of Anvil Publishing and curator of books and head of the literary program for the Philippines at the Frankfurter Buchmesse bookfair, and acclaimed Filipino authors Daryll Delgado and J. Philip Ignacio.
Through the PHLGoH2025 Translation Subsidy Program, Legarda said more than 120 Filipino titles have been translated into foreign languages.
Twenty-seven of these will debut in German, including Aswanglaut by Allan Derain, Tiempo Muerto by Caroline Hau, and The Collaborators by Katrina Tuvera whil upcoming releases include Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista, Trese Vol. 3 by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, and The Age of Umbrage by Jessica Zafra.
Kristian Sendon Cordero, co-head of the translation committee, emphasized the program’s role in bridging cultures, saying “translation allows our literature to break beyond local languages and enter a global dialogue.”
Legarda said the initial roster of Philippine authors features a diverse mix of celebrated and emerging voices across genres — from graphic novels and poetry to climate fiction and children’s literature. (PNA)
