At a time when words are used to divide, the Danube Stage showed how they can also bring people together. The contributions painted a shared picture of how literature in the Danube region reflects identity, memory and political reality.
Danube – Strong Currents and Between Worlds was the focus topic of Leipzig Book Fair 2026. On the newly created Danube Stage in Hall 4, Goethe-Institut branches from Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary presented a joint programme bringing together authors and culture professionals from all seven countries. At its core were the shared experiences and tensions that shape this richly diverse region – and the themes connecting it as a whole, proving there is far more that unites us than divides us.Where the Danube Connects
The dedicated stage opened with a conversation centred on the Danube. Building on the idea that the river today serves more as a bridge than a border, Croatian author Jasen Boko led the discussion Along the Danube on the first day of the fair, joined by translators Marie Alpermann, Iulia Dondorici and Lídia Nádori. The panelists discussed how translators render the concept of “Heimat”(homeland) in another language, how they navigate dialects and whether AI poses a threat to their profession.This was followed thematically by the panel Rethinking Homeland, which brought together three authors from three Danube countries: Militsa Tekelieva, born in Bulgaria and now living in Berlin; Bucharest-based Liliana Corobca from the Republic of Moldova; and Hungarian author Márió Z. Nemes. Moderated by translator and linguist Iulia Dondorici, the discussion explored personal and literary notions of homeland – asking how belonging and alienation can coexist – how the familiar and the unfamiliar can be felt simultaneously within the place one calls home.
Between Belonging and Memory
Another highlight examined how literature preserves memories and reflects social upheavals. Ukrainian authors Ostap Slywynskij and Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta explored the ways individual and collective experiences are expressed in narrative forms – particularly in contexts where everyday life and history are inseparably intertwined. Their discussion showed how literary perspectives open new ways of engaging with memory, language and the present moment.On the final day, the Danube Stage sparked lively debate. Márió Z. Nemes led a discussion on the place of women authors in the literary canon, with Kinga Tóth, Tanja Šljivar and Liliana Corobca examining who gets to decide – from Hungarian, Serbian and Romanian perspectives, and in light of their international experiences. “We are the ones who can change the canon,” insisted Tanja Šljivar. The discussion also turned to the role of translation as a powerful agent of visibility. Only a handful of works from the Danube region are translated into German, and it is often personal networks that determine whether a text crosses into another language at all. Kinga Tóth captured the broader situation of women in the literary world with a striking image: “If we can lie together in bed, then we can also sit together on the subway – and maybe even on stage.”
When Literature Becomes Political
At the end of the programme, the political dimensions of literature came into sharper focus. Moderator Gábor Polyák spoke with Michal Hvorecký, Kinga Tóth and Danilo Lučić about literature’s capacity to influence the political situation in Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia. The panelists drew a comparison between literary language and the language of propaganda – noting that in all three countries, language is heavily influenced by propagandistic expressions. While literature strives for catharsis, observed Lučić, propaganda works to preserve the status quo. But has literature lost its representational power? Doesn’t it seem as if what authors have to say barely carries weight anymore? Can unique literature emerge precisely because of that today? Hvorecký offered a pointed answer: the very fact that illiberal governments work so hard to instrumentalise the written word is proof enough of its significance. A central challenge facing both literature and politics today lies in breaking free from the constant compulsion to react to propaganda – and finding space to tell one’s own stories.In one of the panels, Liliana Corobca noted that the English word “success” derives from the Latin verb succedere – “to come after”, or “to follow on”. To succeed, in other words, is simply to continue, to continue writing. This thought resonated as a quiet undertone throughout the discussions on the Danube Stage.
March 2026