Every year, in November, the ‘Walfer Bicherdeeg’ fair attracts book enthusiasts from all over the country. If you are looking for a special plan this weekend, read on and we’ll tell you all about it.
First inaugurated on 8th October 1995 at Centre Prince Henri, the Walfer Bicherdeeg, or “Book Days” have been taking place for almost 30 years, celebrating authors from Walferdange and the whole country, as well as the communal love for reading.
This year, the book fair is categorised into three different halls: the market for used books is located in the old basketball court in “Hall des Sports”, the newer court is reserved for Luxembourgish editors and publishers, as well as publishers from the Greater Region.
The court for professionals is also a great place to buy Christmas gifts: you could get your hands on a signed book by Luxembourgish Book Prize winner Margret Steckel, for example. The ‘Lëtzebuerger Buchpräis’ ceremony coincided with the opening of the book fair on Thursday evening, highlighting the strong bonds linking the fair and the Luxembourgish literary sphere.
Lastly, there is an entire area for kids, entitled “Books for Kids” located in Centre Prince Henri, where editors, authors, and bookshops like Ernster exhibit their products.
Right as you enter the market of used books, you are greeted by the smell of antique books, and by a crowd of fellow readers who have been eagerly awaiting the book fair’s return.
You can find an array of German, French, and English books, which have been gaining popularity over the last few years. Apart from literary novels, collectors often seek out the book fair to find treasures that you wouldn’t find in any bookshop anymore, such as books on the First and Second World Wars.
Comfortably sat in the literary café among publishers and editors, RTL Today talked to the mayor of Walferdange, François Sauber, who passionately elaborated on this year’s edition of the book fair.
The theme of this year’s edition is Wanderlust: “Wanderlust is one of those beautiful words that is understood in many languages. A word that lets us dream of distant places and lands”, the mayor adds.
“Literature allows us to discover new places. It can take us to unfamiliar realms – whether real or fictional. New horizons unfold before us, along with new perspectives and further experiences.”
Travelling to new places and exploring different perspectives includes evolving as people, as we are constantly changing even though we might not notice it.
Mayor Sauber explains: “The ‘Walfer Bicherdeeg’ naturally evolve as well: every year we have introduced new concepts and ideas, always keeping the book and literature at the heart of this event.”
The book fair demands a great amount of planning in advance: “after the book fair is before the book fair”, jokes M. Sauber. You need to have enough time to contact the BnL, the Luxembourgish National Library; the CNL, the Centre for Languages; reach out to editors, to make sure they will be granted a space to exhibit what they have been working on…
Aside from the library and the centre for languages, ‘Walfer Bicherdeeg’ also collaborates with schools, the Federation of Luxembourgish Publishers and SCRIPT, one of the driving forces of educational development in Luxembourg.
The mayor emphasises that the book fair is not merely a market to sell books: their main focus is to support the craft of books, culture, literature and Luxembourgish literature. That is how it all started:
“The first fair took place in 1995, which was simultaneously the year of culture. A lot of writers used to live in Walferdange, and the three authors Lex Jacoby, Pol Pütz and Nic Weber closely worked together with their mayor, my father, to create this space that celebrates literature and creativity”, he reminisces. After that, the fair just kept on growing to the extent that, nowadays, 10,000 to 12,000 book lovers from Luxembourg and the Greater Region flock to Walferdange for the weekend.
The collaborative exhibition with the Lycée des Arts et Métiers should not be missed, the mayor passionately tells us: “The students have explored the theme of wanderlust through photography”, taking pictures of the shortlisted authors for the Luxembourgish Book Prize 2024.
The result is a collection of black and white photos, showing the authors in their natural habitat. Located in the market of professionals, the exhibition is a must-see.
Lectures were also given to over 600 pupils from Walferdange primary schools to rekindle their passion for reading. Another cooperative project had been done in the past between the primary schools and the Walferdange Book Days, to further show kids how much fun it is to read and to be a part of the book creation process.
Together, their book project started off with the aim to tell one story, yet they ended up with a whole trilogy! This year, the pupils from Walferdange are in action again, selling calendars for a good cause. They also contributed to the beautiful decorations which frame the book fair grounds.
It is extremely important to the mayor that youth remains passionate about reading and creating literature. To conclude, he proudly asserted “the Walfer Bicherdeeg is a significant cultural and literary event of national importance, and we aim to preserve it in the future.”
Many other authors and publishers were open to talk to us and share their passion.
In the Centre Prince Henri reserved for children’s books, we talked to Claudine Furlano from Zoom Editions. She has been attending the book fair for many years, and said that each year is more enjoyable than the last. More and more people show up and the fact that she can see people’s immediate reaction to her creations is a blessing, since she can use their feedback for her future projects. Moreover, seeing other publishers and writers inspires her immensely.
At the market for professionals, RTL Today had a stimulating conversation with language teacher Dr. Rolade Berthier. The main mission she aims to fulfill at the book fair is talking to people. It is her second year in a row, and she insists that it’s not selling books that motivates her, but the exchange with other English speakers – like us for example.
She enjoys writing and paying attention to the evolution of language, and that is why she decided to get a stand at the book fair.
Berthier, very fittingly, called it “English Language Lovers”, because that is what she is at heart.
“Here in Luxembourg, a lot of people are fluent in English, yet no one dares to correct them when they use ‘false friends'”, she mentions. “I decided to write my book English Language Lovers: Teaching, learning and conversing before and during the pandemic, which is full of anecdotes, not to make fun of anyone, but to correct people in a fun way. I like to share my writing with others.”
She also picked up on how French or Dutch people engage in using “false friends” as well, and she sees it as her mission to make non-native speakers aware of it. When she was in the Netherlands, she noticed one particular mistake which sprung to her attention: “Smile easy”. “That’s wrong, it’s a verb, so it should say ‘smile easily'”.
Her books on language include phrases, quotes, passages on political correctness and grammar, to ensure that the English language evolves in the best possible way. We are never too old to learn, and since English has become a prominent language in Luxembourg, she is delighted to help those who want to speak fluently and correctly.
Take it from an experienced and long-time Walfer Bicherdeeg enthusiast, it will never become boring or repetitive. Even at night, the magical atmosphere of the book fair won’t fail to mesmerise you, and with the many food trucks and the “Kaffisstuff” you won’t go hungry either!
This post was originally published on here
