Jill Lepore, Photo credit Richard Renaldo
By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States. And while the country celebrates its founding, there are threats to its democracy both externally and internally.It is with that in mind that American historian, author, and New Yorker writer Jill Lepore has been invited to speak at the Opening Press Conference of this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 7-11, 2026).
“We are delighted to welcome Jill Lepore to the Opening Press Conference of the world’s leading book fair,” says Juergen Boos, Director of Frankfurter Buchmesse. “Her work demonstrates how closely history and the present are intertwined. This is particularly true at a time when democracy, freedom and social participation seem to be under threat and are being renegotiated worldwide.”
Lepore is a professor, writer, and the author of eight books, including the bestselling We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution, which will be coming out in Germany next month, and the forthcoming The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, which provides a timely account of how technology (specifically AI) undermines global democracy. Her writing and teaching examines the history of American democracy and provides context for the world we live in today.
George Saunders, Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo, says of Lepore, “A person can’t help but feel inspired by the riveting intelligence and joyful curiosity of Jill Lepore. Knowing that there is a mind like hers in the world is a hope-inducing thing.”
Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Opening Press Conference will take place on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 in Frankfurt.