Press Release | Berlin, 09/08/2025

The Blue Sofa: Numerous Readings in Fall 2025

• Geetanjali Shree, Raphaela Gromes, Dmitrij Kapitelman, and others: 14 authors from literature, culture and music present their latest books
• Nobel Prize laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah reads at the Pierre Werner Institute in Luxembourg

Berlin, September 8, 2025 – For 25 years, the Blue Sofa has offered personalities from literature, culture, politics, and society the opportunity to present their latest books to a wide audience. This fall, Bertelsmann’s literary forum will once again appear at renowned festivals and venues. In cooperation with cultural and literary partners, it will showcase internationally acclaimed authors, socially relevant topics, and new literary discoveries.

Highlights include an appearance by Nobel Prize laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, the opening of OPEN BOOKS at the Frankfurt Book Fair featuring the 2025 German Book Prize winner, and appearances by International Booker Prize winners Geetanjali Shree and Jokha Alharthi.

Fall events at a glance

The Blue Sofa at the international literature festival berlin, with Geetanjali Shree and Jokha Alharthi

Friday, September 19, 8:15 p.m.

Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstraße 24, 10719 Berlin

For the second time, the Bertelsmann Literature Forum will be a guest at the international literature festival berlin (ilb). Geetanjali Shree and Jokha Alharthi, both International Booker Prize winners, will take a seat on the Blue Sofa and talk to moderator Marie Kaiser about their novels “Our City That Year” (English edition published by Penguin Random House India) and “Celestial Bodies” (English edition published by Penguin Random House), both of which explore social upheaval.

An event of the international literature festival berlin (ilb) in cooperation with the Blue Sofa.

Welcome, Philippines! – The Blue Sofa welcomes the guest country of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025

Thursday, October 2, 7 p.m.

Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1, 10117 Berlin

Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin opens its doors for a literary preview of the guest country of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025: the Philippines. The motto of the guest country presentation, “Imagination animates the air,” is a line from José Rizal’s classic novel “Noli Me Tangere” (1887). Following insights into the novel and its significance for Filipino literature, authors Ninotchka Rosca and Miguel Syjuco will take a seat on the Blue Sofa. Ninotchka Rosca will discuss her wide-ranging literary work, focusing on her novel “State of War” (1988). Miguel Syjuco will present his latest novel, “I Was the President’s Mistress” (Penguin Random House Canada, 2022) – a politically charged story about power, manipulation, and media truths.

The event is organized jointly with the Frankfurt Book Fair and the National Book Development Board, with the kind support of the Embassy of the Philippines.

The Blue Sofa opens OPEN BOOKS

Tuesday, October 14, 8 p.m.

German National Library, Adickesallee 1, 60322 Frankfurt am Main

OPEN BOOKS, the reading festival of the Frankfurt Book Fair, will open with the Blue Sofa this year. Guests include Middle East expert and award-winning journalist Natalie Amiri (“The Middle East Complex. Of People, Dreams and Destruction,” Penguin), as well as authors Katerina Poladjan (“Golden Beach,” S. Fischer) and Kaleb Erdmann (“The Detour School,” Park x Ullstein). In addition, the winner of the 2025 German Book Prize, announced the day before, will make her first major appearance here.

The Blue Sofa in Frankfurt am Main is organized by Bertelsmann together with the Cultural Office of Frankfurt am Main and the German National Library.

The Blue Sofa in Gütersloh with the award-winning cellist Raphaela Gromes

Monday, November 3, 7:30 p.m.

Theater Gütersloh, Hans-Werner-Henze-Platz 1, 33330 Gütersloh

Celebrated cellist Raphaela Gromes presents her book “Fortissima!” (Goldmann) at Theater Gütersloh – a passionate homage to forgotten female composers in music history. Gromes offers insights into her research and her life as a musician. Readings from the book and musical performances on cello and piano will complete the evening.

The Blue Sofa in Gütersloh is part of Bertelsmann’s cultural sponsorship of the city. The event is organized by Theater Gütersloh.

The Blue Sofa at the Jewish Culture Days Berlin 2025

Tuesday, November 18, 7 p.m.

Berlin State Library, Unter den Linden 8, 10117 Berlin, Wilhelm von Humboldt Hall

This year, the Blue Sofa will once again be part of the Jewish Culture Days Berlin. Guests include Dmitrij Kapitelman (“Russian Specialties,” Hanser Berlin), Israeli bestselling author Assaf Gavron (“Eat and Drink and Be Cool,” Luchterhand), Christiane Wirtz (“How Heavy Is a Shadow,” Dumont), Sarah Levy (“No Other Land. Notes from Israel,” Rowohlt), and Henrik Szántó (“Staircase of Paper,” Blessing).

The Jewish Culture Days Berlin are organized by the Jewish Community of Berlin. The literary program of the Jewish Culture Days takes place in cooperation with the Berlin State Library.

The Blue Sofa with Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah at the Pierre Werner Institute in Luxembourg

Friday, November 28, 7 p.m.

Institut Pierre Werner, 28 rue Münster, 2160 Luxembourg

In “Theft,” his first new novel since being awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, master storyteller Abdulrazak Gurnah captures a time of turbulent global change. What can happen when three young people from different backgrounds take their lives into their own hands? With subtle nuance and quiet irony, he tells the story of the lives of young Tanzanians who are citizens of today’s world.

The event is organized in cooperation with the Institut Pierre Werner.

Further information on the events can be found here. 

About the Blue Sofa
The Blue Sofa is one of the longest-running and most successful literary formats in the German-speaking world. Since it was founded in 2000, more than 3,100 authors have taken a seat here to present their new books at book fairs and beyond. In recent years, the format has been jointly organized by Bertelsmann, ZDF, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and 3sat; since 2023, Bertelsmann has continued Das Blue Sofa with a new concept under its sole responsibility. The most prominent guests to date have included Nobel Prize winners Svetlana Alexievich, Mikhail Gorbachev, Günter Grass, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Herta Müller, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Orhan Pamuk, Joseph Stiglitz, Olga Tokarczuk, Mario Vargas Llosa and Mo Yan.

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company with around 75,000 employees and operations in more than 50 countries around the world. The Group includes the entertainment company RTL Group, the book publishing group Penguin Random House, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato Group, Bertelsmann Marketing Services, the Bertelsmann Education Group and the international fund network Bertelsmann Investments. The company generated revenues of €19 billion in the 2024 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination enables first-class media offerings and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world.