Wikipedia

Gothenburg Book Fair

(Redirected from Bokmässan)

The Gothenburg Book Fair (also known as Göteborg Book Fair, Bok & Bibliotek, Bok- och biblioteksmässan or Bokmässan) is an annual event held in Gothenburg, Sweden, since 1985.[1][2]

Gothenburg Book Fair

Overview

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The first Gothenburg Book Fair, then known as Bibliotek 85, began on 23 August 1985. There were about 5,000 visitors.[3][4]

It started primarily as a trade fair (for librarians and teachers), but is now the largest literary festival in Scandinavia and the second largest book fair in Europe after the Frankfurt Book Fair.[5] The book fair usually takes place in the last week of September each year. It has around 100,000 visitors and 900 exhibitors annually.[1][6] It was reported in 2004 that the fair generated 170 million SEK of revenue for the city of Gothenburg.[7]

In 2017, 127 authors signed a petition in Dagens Nyheter stating they would be boycotting the book fair due to the participation of far-right newspaper Nya Tider [sv].[3] The book fair received about 25% less visitors in 2017, which was attributed to the boycott and concerns about a Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR) march planned in close proximity.[8] Several NMR members were later put on trial for trying to break through the barriers at the fair.[9]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was held virtually in 2020.[10][11]

There was controversy in 2025 after fair talks were advertised by the Sweden–Israel Friendship Association under the titles of "Den fabricerade svälten i Gaza" (English: The fabricated famine in Gaza) and "UNRWA – länken mellan terror och FN?" (English: UNRWA – the link between terrorism and the UN?). The titles were changed after criticism.[12]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Bok & Bibliotek". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2011.(subscription required)
  2. ↑ "Vad är Bok & Bibliotek?" (in Swedish). Bok & Bibliotek. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 Thente, Jonas (2018-09-21). "Sju viktiga händelser i Bokmässans historia" [Seven important events in the history of the Gothenburg Book Fair]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Retrieved 2025-10-19.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ↑ Nordström, Isabelle (2014-09-23). "En omtyckt bokmässa firar 30 år". Bohusläningen (in Swedish). Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  5. ↑ Kärnstrand, Moa (25 September 2008). "Dags för årets största bokfest". metro.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  6. ↑ "Statistik Bokmässan" (in Swedish). Bok & Bibliotek. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  7. ↑ Johansson, Lars (2004-09-23). "Upplagt för besöksrekord" [Set for record visitor numbers]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  8. ↑ Littorin, Jens (2017-10-01). "Svaga siffror för Bokmässan – tappade många besökare" [Weak figures for the Gothenburg Book Fair – many visitors lost]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  9. ↑ Ferhatovic, Marina (2019-09-24). "Oenighet om NMR:s symboler under rättegångsstarten" [Disagreement over NMR symbols at the start of the trial]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Archived from the original on 2019-09-30. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  10. ↑ Schüldt, Greta (2020-08-21). "Bokförlagen försiktigt positiva trots corona" [Publishers cautiously optimistic despite coronavirus]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2447. Archived from the original on 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  11. ↑ "Amanda Lind: Kulturlivet lever trots det svåra läget" [Amanda Lind: Cultural life thrives despite the difficult situation]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  12. ↑ Ivarsson, Torbjörn (2025-09-24). "Samtal om Gaza fick ny rubrik – Bokmässans chef: "Onödigt provokativt"" [Discussion about Gaza given new title – Book Fair director: “Unnecessarily provocative”]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2025-09-24. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
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