Québec will be the Guest of Honour at 2026 Gothenburg Book Fair

The spotlight will shine on Québec as it takes centre stage in 2026 as the Guest of Honour at the prestigious Gothenburg Book Fair in Sweden. The announcement, which was made at the Salon du livre de l’Outaouais in Québec, marks a significant moment in the celebration of Québec literature, culture and heritage on an international platform.

Gothenburg Book Fair is a book fair, literary festival and professional conference and one of the most significant cultural events in Northern Europe, attracting more than 80,000 visitors and participants from 40 countries annually. It is arranged in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, at the end of September. Like Gothenburg, Québec City is a UNESCO City of Literature.

Québec, often referred to as Québec Province, is a predominantly French-speaking province in eastern Canada. It is known for its distinct culture, which is heavily influenced by its French heritage. Most of the population speaks French as their first language and the province has a rich tradition of literature, arts, music and culture.

Mathieu Lacombe, Minister of Culture and Communications, Minister Responsible for Youth and Minister responsible for the Ouatouais region in Québec, made the special announcement at the official opening of the book fair Salon du livre de l’Outaouais.

The Minister said:

“Québec is proud to be the Guest of Honour at the 2026 edition of the Gothenburg Book Fair, a major cultural event in the Nordic countries. This is an advantageous opportunity for Québec literature, as it holds great potential for outreach and commercial and artistic development. I am thrilled to see that the preparations for this honour are already underway in the publishing sector, both in Québec and in Sweden. This will be an opportunity to establish close cultural relations with Sweden, a nation with whom we have much in common, particularly our inherent relationship with nordicité.”

A Swedish delegation from Gothenburg Book Fair, consisting of Frida Edman, Book Fair Director and Oskar Ekström, Program Director, was present in Québec at the announcement. Also present were Karin Öhman, Deputy Head of Mission/Counsellor and Anna Silvennoinen, Public Diplomacy Officer, at the Swedish Embassy in Ottawa, Canada.

Frida Edman, Book Fair Director, shared her enthusiasm for the upcoming event, emphasizing the importance of highlighting diverse voices and perspectives in the literary world.

“Gothenburg Book Fair is the largest cultural event in the Nordic countries, and it is with immense pride that we extend a warm welcome to Québec as our esteemed Guest of Honour. We are filled with anticipation to discover Québec’s literary landscape and to introduce the voices of its talented writers to countless readers in Sweden and across the region. In the spirit of collaboration, we eagerly look forward to working alongside our partners to fully embrace and celebrate the essence of Québec’s literature in the years to come”.

The decision from Gothenburg Book Fair to invite Québec as the Guest of Honour in 2026 underscores the province’s rich literary tradition, diverse linguistic landscape and vibrant cultural contributions to the literary community. From classic to contemporary works, Québec literature interests readers worldwide.

L’Association national des éditeurs de livres (ANEL) will be responsible for this collective presence which will include a delegation of Québec authors. The 2026 edition of the fair will be the culmination of an ambitious programme of market development on the territory, undertaken by ANEL and several publishers in close collaboration with the Québec Government Office in London, which also represents the Québec government in the Nordic countries.

“We are deeply honoured to be chosen as the Guest of Honour at the 2026 Gothenburg Book Fair. This presents an exciting opportunity to showcase the depth and breadth of Quebecois literature, as well as our culture to the Swedish and Nordic audience. We look forward to fostering meaningful literary exchanges and forging lasting connections with fellow book lovers”, says Geneviève Pigeon, president of the Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL).

Starting this year, delegations of Québec publishers to Sweden and the welcoming of Swedish publishers to Québec are planned; these exchanges already promise exciting business opportunities for Québec companies in Sweden and the Nordic countries and vice versa. The expected benefits are significant, namely rights sales and translations of books, professional development of publishers, international showcasing of Québec literature and career development for authors.

So far, only a handful of authors from Québec have been translated into Swedish, including Kim Thúy (Sekwa publishing house) and Lise Tremblay (Rámus publishing house), both of whom have received attention. Recently, Dominique Fortier (Rámus publishing house), Catherine Mavrikakis (Sekwa publishing houses), Jocelyne Saucier (Tranan publishing house), and Larry Tremblay (Vaktel publishing house) have also become available in Swedish. According to ANEL, there are many authors translated into other languages such as English, German, and Spanish, but not yet into Swedish, who have the potential to make a big impact among Swedish readers.

Gothenburg Book Fair 2026 will be arranged 24 – 27 September.

About the Book Fair

Gothenburg Book Fair is the largest cultural event in the Nordic region and will take place from 26 – 29 September in 2024, at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre. Our vision is to create tingling sensations in the soul by offering the most thought-provoking experience of the year. By promoting reading, education, and the role of literature in society, we strive to make the world a better place. The seminar program will be presented in Stockholm and Gothenburg on May 28th. This year’s themes are Sápmi and Space. The cultural institution Tjállegoahte and the Sami writer associations Bágo and Sámi Girječálliid Searvi are the 2024 Guest of Honour at the Book Fair. In 2024, we also celebrate 40 book fairs – 40 years of tingling sensations in the soul. Learn more about Gothenburg Book Fair at www.goteborg-bookfair.com

For media enquiries, please contact:

Maria Rogstad Norberg  
Communications Director
+46 722 11 93 39
mn@bokmassan.se 

Press photos

Geneviève Pigeon, Frida Edman, Mathieu Lacombe, Oskar Ekström /Photo: ANEL