Fantasyfestival opens in Esbjerg this weekend, 15 years after a librarian’s continuing education assignment, with 65,000 books moved out of the main library to make room for authors, publishers and fans.
DR reports that the festival began as a loose idea from librarian Kirsten Bloch, who needed a project for a continuing education course. Fifteen years later, the event has become one of Denmark’s larger literature festivals. Bloch told DR that she never really believed it would become more than the assignment itself.
The festival now draws around 15,000 guests, according to DR’s reporting. Publishers and established authors time their releases to the festival date. Visitors come from across Denmark and from abroad for author meetings, lectures and signings.
Anne Lind Andersen, a literary promoter at the publishing house Gyldendal, told DR that the festival is extremely important for Danish fantasy. She described it as unavoidable for the publisher when release plans are made. Per her account, both established and new authors want their books out in time to meet the genre’s most engaged readers.
Bloch said the genre’s strength lies in making difficult subjects more accessible. She pointed to war, anxiety, loneliness, sexuality, persecution and climate as themes that recur in fantasy writing. Wrapped in a story with a dragon or a wizard, she said, the material becomes easier to take in.
65,000 books moved overnight
To create space for the program, the main library in Esbjerg was emptied of books during the night between Thursday and Friday. In total, 65,000 books were moved around, according to DR. They are to be moved back during the night between Sunday and Monday.
DR published video of the operation filmed by Ernst Kristensen. The library is the central venue for the weekend’s author meetings and signings. The festival runs Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20.
International names in West Jutland
Among this year’s guests is American bestselling author Sharon Kenyon, DR reports. She has sold more than 70 million books worldwide. She is one of several international names the Esbjerg festival has attracted over the years.
Bloch said she still finds the scale of the event hard to grasp. She called it remarkable to see what a small thing has grown into. The festival has, according to Andersen at Gyldendal, helped lift the fantasy genre in Denmark.
Alongside the international guests, the festival has kept its base in West Jutland, where the library hosts the main program. Bloch remains the figure behind the idea, and the festival mascot, a dragon named Gnist, appears in DR’s coverage of this year’s edition.
