Literature of the Danube Region on the Blue Sofa! – An Introduction to the Leipzig Book Fair's Focus Theme 2026

March 5, 2026 | 7 p.m. | Bertelsmann Repräsentanz

On 5 March 2026, The Blue Sofa sets the stage for the Leipzig Book Fair’s 2026 focus theme »Danube – Strong Currents and Between Worlds«. Guests at the Bertelsmann Representative Office in Berlin will be Swiss-Romanian author Dana Grigorcea and Croatian author Ena Katarina Haler.

In her new novel »Tanzende Frau, blauer Hahn« (Dancing Woman, blue rooster, Penguin), Dana Grigorcea explores stories of love set in the Romanian Carpathians. In her second novel »Die Schuldlosen« (The Guiltless, Folio), Ena Katarina Haler tells the story of a fearless woman who, at the turn of the millennium, shapes her future in a devastated country.

Stretching nearly 3,000 kilometres, the Danube flows through ten European countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. This year’s focus theme highlights the polyphony of literary voices from across these regions.