Press Release | Berlin, 02/13/2025

The Blue Sofa: Events at the Leipzig Book Fair 2025

• With three events scheduled during the Leipzig Book Fair, Bertelsmann once again makes a literary statement in 2025
• Maja Lunde, Takis Würger, Trude Teige, and others will present their latest books on the Blue Sofa

Berlin, February 13, 2025 – Books and Bertelsmann are inextricably linked. Founded in 1835, exactly 190 years ago, as a small publishing house, Bertelsmann today includes Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher. At the Leipzig Book Fair, Bertelsmann will once again underscore its commitment to books: During the fair, which takes place from March 27 to 30, 2025, Bertelsmann will once again make a literary statement by hosting three Blue Sofa events.

For 25 years, Bertelsmann has used the Blue Sofa to provide a stage for both established and emerging authors to present their latest books to a wide audience. This year, Bertelsmann is once again involved in many aspects of the Leipzig Book Fair: While Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe will be presenting its new publications at the fair, Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin welcomes this year’s guest country – Norway – two weeks before the opening of the fair. The “KrimiClub,” a crime fiction event that has been popular with fairgoers/the public for over 30 years, is offering two murderously exciting evenings at the Leipzig District Court as part of “Leipzig liest” (Leipzig reads). And authors Mareice Kaiser, Takis Würger, Bernhard Pörksen and Katharina Köller will be presenting their latest works on the Blue Sofa at Leipzig’s Old Stock Exchange on Naschmarkt. 

The Events at a Glance

Welcome Norway! – The Blue Sofa Welcomes the 2025 Leipzig Book Fair’s Guest of Honor
Thursday, March 12, 7:00 PM
Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1, 10117 Berlin

Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin welcomes this year’s Guest of Honor at the Leipzig Book Fair: Norway. Ellen Hogsnes and Margit Walsø, the curators of Norway’s Guest of Honor appearance, will jointly present the concept and provide an insight into the program they have designed under the motto “Traum im Frühling” (A Dream in Springtime). Authors Maja Lunde (“Für immer” – Forever – btb), Johan Harstad (“Unter dem Pflaster liegt der Strand”– Beneath The Asphalt Lies The Beach – Claasen), and Lars Elling (“Die Prinzen vom Birkensee” – The Princes of Birkensee Lake –, Penguin) will present their latest books. Marie-Christine Knop and Thomas Böhm will moderate the event.

The event is jointly organized with NORLA – Norwegian Literature Abroad, with the kind support of the Leipzig Book Fair and the Norwegian Embassy.

The Blue Sofa Hosts the KrimiClub at the Leipzig District Court
Thursday & Friday, March 27 & 28, 7:00 PM
District Court Leipzig, Harkortstraße 9, 04107 Leipzig

As part of Leipzig liest and in cooperation with the association Kunst & Justiz, Das Blaue Sofa is once again hosting the KrimiClub at the Leipzig District Court in 2025. Four authors at a time will present their new releases, provide insights into their writing, and demonstrating the diversity of the genre. On Thursday, the guests are: Trude Teige, Max Annas, Sia Piontek, and Tom Hillenbrand, and on Friday, Volker Klüpfel, Elisa Hoven, Tore Renberg, and Sarah Nisi. Anouk Schollähn will moderate the event.

The Blue Sofa at Leipzig’s Old Stock Exchange (Alte Börse)
Saturday, March 29, 7:30 PM
Alte Börse, Naschmarkt 1, 04109 Leipzig

On Saturday, March 29, 2025, the Blue Sofa will be at the Alte Börse for the Leipzig Book Fair. The guests are Mareice Kaiser (“Ich weiβ es doch auch nicht,” Penguin), Takis Würger (“Für Polina,” Diogenes), Katharina Köller (“Wild wuchern,” Penguin) and Bernhard Pörksen (“Zuhören,” Hanser). 

This event will be held as part of the “Leipzig liest” reading festival.

About the Blue Sofa
The Blue Sofa is one of the longest-running and most successful literary formats in the German-speaking world. Since it was founded in 2000, more than 3,100 authors have taken a seat here to present their new books at book fairs and beyond. In recent years, the format has been jointly organized by Bertelsmann, ZDF, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and 3sat; since 2023, Bertelsmann has continued The Blue Sofa with a new concept under its sole responsibility. The most prominent guests to date have included Nobel Prize winners Svetlana Alexievich, Mikhail Gorbachev, Günter Grass, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Herta Müller, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Orhan Pamuk, Joseph Stiglitz, Olga Tokarczuk, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Mo Yan. www.das-blaue-sofa.de/en 

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services, and education company with more than 80,000 employees that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the entertainment group RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato Group, Bertelsmann Marketing Services, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. The company generated revenues of €20.2 billion in the 2023 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world. Bertelsmann aspires to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.