The Prague Book Tower Fair is dedicated to contemporary Russian literature in exile. It emerged from the anti-war response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Today, the fair brings together Russian-language publishers based outside Russia, whose books are shaping a new landscape of uncensored literature. The fair stands in solidarity with Ukraine and openly condemns the war.

The first Prague Book Tower Fair took place in Prague in September 2024 — and was the first Russian-language book fair of its kind outside Russia. It has grown steadily ever since, from 16 participating publishers in 2024 to 37 in 2026. This year, around 200 book projects were presented, from writing that confronts war and Putin's current regime to genres now suppressed in Russia, including LGBTQ+ literature, feminism and contemporary history.

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The 2025 fair welcomed two internationally renowned figures in contemporary Russian literature, Vladimir Sorokin and Mikhail Shishkin. This year the fair hosted not only Russian-language writers but also European authors and translators, among them Olaf Kühl, Gonçalo Tavares and Alena Machoninová. In Frankfurt, the spotlight is on the Russian-language books and publishers shaping this new literary landscape.

Over its first three years, the fair has welcomed more than 10,000 visitors. Under the Prague Book Tower name, it now brings together publishers, bookshops and literary magazines from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, France, the United States, Israel and beyond.

From the outset, the Prague Book Tower Fair has been a meeting point for Russian-language culture in exile. Each year, publishers, authors, translators and readers from different countries come together, creating a literary space beyond censorship.

We see our mission as making free Russian-language literature more visible — and bringing its most important works to readers around the world.