9 literary stars at the Frankfurt Book Fair

Knausgard became an international literary sensation with "My Struggle," his series of autobiographical novels. He's now published a critical work on the art of Edvard Munch. With Norway being the country of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year, Knausgard is expected at the opening ceremony, and he'll also be interviewed by the book fair's president, Juergen Boos.

Norwegian author Maja Lunde gained international acclaim with her bestselling novel "The History of Bees," which explores the consequences of the extinction of the species. She pursues her call for climate action in her upcoming book, "The End of the Ocean." It's due in January 2020.

This other Norwegian star has sold 40 million books worldwide: Jo Nesbo is most famous for his Inspector Harry Hole crime novels. The latest title in the thriller series is "Knife." The author will be presenting the new book at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The books of the Turkish-British novelist and women's rights activist have been translated into 49 languages. Shafak's latest novel, "10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World," is set in Istanbul, and had been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. However, it is also being investigated by Turkish authorities for "crimes of obscenity."

Colson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad" won prestigious awards including the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction. The US author will be in Frankfurt to promote his 2019 novel, "The Nickel Boys," inspired by a Florida reform school where for over a century students were beaten, tortured, raped and even murdered.

The bestselling romance novelist is back with a new book, "The Giver of Stars," released on October 8. Held from October 16-20, the Frankfurt Book Fair is reserved to trade visitors from Wednesday to Friday, but opens its doors to the public over the weekend. Jojo Moyes will be there for an interview and a book signing session on Sunday.

Ken Follett will be spending a lot of time with Jojo Moyes, along with Kate Mosse and Lee Child, during their upcoming "Friendship Tour" against Brexit through different European capitals. The author of bestselling historical thrillers such as "The Pillars of the Earth" will introduce the initiative at the literary gala of the book fair, held on October 19.

The Polish author and psychologist Olga Tokarczuk has inspired an international audience with her novels. On October 10, she received the Nobel Prize for Literature — retroactively for 2018. Tokarczuk is also known as a women's rights activist and advocate for sexual minorities. She will take part in the opening press conference of the book fair.

After Norway this year, the country of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020 will be Canada. The handover ceremony welcomes one of the country's top literary stars: Margaret Atwood, who recently published "The Testaments," her sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale," that was turned into a hit TV series, and just won her the Booker Prize for fiction.