THE 77th Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair), the longest-running and largest book fair in the world, kicked off on Oct. 14 with the Philippines as this year’s guest of honor.
Among the members of the delegation are UST professors and authors from the UST Publishing House (USTPH), who joined over 400 Filipino authors, artists, and publishers with various titles, ranging from climate fiction, diaspora literature, graphic novels, and poetry.
During the opening ceremony, award-winning writer and USTPH author Mookie-Katigbak Lacuesta joined acclaimed Filipina poets Merlie Alunan and Marjorie Evasco in celebrating Philippine literature through a poetry reading session.
This ritual marked the official opening of the world’s largest book event.
In his keynote address, Frankfurter Buchmesse director Juergen Boos said the Philippines brought a diverse range of literary pieces.
“They opened up new perspectives on the diversity of an archipelago with 7,841 islands, and they show how literature transcends linguistic, media, and cultural boundaries across continents,” Boos said in German.
Sen. Loren Legarda, in her speech, emphasized the importance of the book fair’s theme, “The imagination peoples the air,” drawn from Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere.
“Imagination can be threatening and threatening to tyrants because it speaks of freedom. Threatening to exploiters because it demands justice. Threatening to cynics because it insists on hope,” Legarda said.
Literature professor John Jack Wigley moderated a panel discussion that explored how book awards influence literary visibility, reputation, and cross-cultural exchange, on Oct. 15.
The session also explored contemporary issues surrounding selection criteria, sponsor influence, and the politics behind authors’ recognition.
Another publishing house author, Esquire editor at large Angelo “Sarge” Lacuesta, led a panel discussion on “Film and Literature: Tension and Translation.”
Benedict Parfan, the USTPH director, was also among the lineup of speakers, moderating the session “How Revolutionary is Academic Publishing in Asia.”
USTPH assistant director Paul Castillo joined the roster of speakers with a talk titled “Poetry for Freedom, Justice, and Peace.”
Fictionist Beverly Siy participated in the panel discussion “Booked at ZentralBibliothek: Filipino Plot Twists.”
Creative writing professor Chuckberry Pascual took part in the discussions, moderating the panel “Dumadaloy Sa Mga Ilog at Dagat (Voices in Transit Over Waters) Reading of Palestinian and Filipino Works.”
Pascual will deliver two other talks, “Ladlad, the Optics of Gender” and “Pride Across Genres: Queer Literature in Asia,” on Oct. 18, where he will discuss themes related to queer narratives in literature.
The Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 will take place from Oct. 14 to 19.
