This year's Book Fair in Gothenburg has drama as well as love and lust as themes.
But the conflicts in the outside world also naturally sneak in among the bookstands, notes Oskar Ekström in connection with the fair's official opening.
Almost at the same time as the fair was opened, 69 cultural personalities published a call in Aftonbladet which accuses the organizers of "giving space to genocide propaganda".
"Deep insult"
"It is a deep insult to the countless journalists and authors who could have been with us today, if they had not been murdered by Israel", the cultural personalities write.
Among the signatories are Athena Farrokhzad, Johannes Anyuru and Bianca Kronlöf.
The call refers to two planned conversations arranged by the Sweden-Israel Friendship Association, whose setup received strong criticism, which ended with the association choosing to give the conversations new headings.
"Reacted strongly"
The conversations initially had the headings "The fabricated famine in Gaza" and "Unrwa - the link between terror and the UN?".
We also reacted strongly to the headings. Not to all, but to two or three, so we contacted them and informed them, says Oskar Ekström, who is the head of the Book Fair.
It is they who set their headings, so it is their decision. But I think we had a good dialogue and we also had a consensus that some of these headings were a bit too pointed and unnecessarily provocative. And they also chose to change them.
At the same time, he continues, debates and discussions about difficult topics are also a natural part of the fair.
There should be many different ideas and opinions and we want discussions and debate. But we certainly do not want people to take offense either, says Oskar Ekström.
The new headings for the conversations became "What happens to all the aid to Gaza's inhabitants?" and "How does Unrwa work?".
This year's themes at the Book Fair are drama and love and lust.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is coming to Gothenburg to receive the fair's literary prize Sjöjungfrun. Other foreign authors visiting the fair are Dan Brown, Jonathan Ames, Julia Quinn, Judith Hermann, Chigozie Obioma and Marie Ndiaye. In addition, dramatists such as Roland Schimmelpfennig will be there.
Youtuber and influencer Jack Edwards and Ayman Chaudhary, who has the world's largest Booktok account, drew a larger audience than Joyce Carol Oates last year. Both are on the program again this year.
From Swedish social media, for example, Mauri Hermundsson is participating, while Björn Ranelid will act as a wedding officiant and marry several couples during the fair.
Other well-known Swedish names on the participant list are Fredrik Backman and Liv Strömquist, as well as songwriters such as Björn Ulvaeus, Annika Norlin and Thomas Stenström.
The fair takes place on September 25-28.
