Bookfest International Book Fair to kick off on Wednesday; Bulgaria - Guest of Honour
The nineteenth edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair will take place Wednesday through Sunday at Romexpo, with book lovers invited to attend 455 events organised by 158 exhibitors, marking twenty years since the first edition launched by Gabriel Liiceanu in 2006.
'At this nineteenth edition we will have 158 exhibitors and 455 events taking place in the shared spaces and at publishers' stands. There will be a dedicated stand for the Frankfurt Book Fair and six publishers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, along with fair officials, will come to meet Romanian publishers in preparation for Romania's participation as Guest of Honour at the 2028 Frankfurt Book Fair. Bookfest has been a strategic project of the Ministry of Culture for the past four years and has benefited from the High Patronage of the President of Romania since 2016,' Dan Croitoru, member of the Board of the Romanian Publishers Association and Editorial Director of Polirom, told the press conference announcing the event.
Bookfest is preparing a spectacular anniversary edition, with Bulgaria as this year's Guest of Honour.
Among the cultural figures who will appear on the open stages and at publishers' stands are Georgi Gospodinov, Mircea Cartarescu, Gabriela Adamesteanu, Gabriel Liiceanu, Cristian Tudor Popescu, Theodor Paleologu, Doina Rusti, Radu Paraschivescu, Horia-Roman Patapievici, Tatiana Niculescu, Mircea Mihaies, Catalin Vasilescu, Dan-Liviu Boeriu, Lucian Croitoru, Catherine Lovey, Nadia Comaneci, Margareta Paslaru, Igor Bergler, Alex Donovici, Alec Blenche, Veronica D. Niculescu and many others.
Leading authors from Bulgaria and Romania will welcome readers throughout the five-day event with their latest titles and book-signing sessions. Georgi Gospodinov and Mircea Cartarescu, two of the most important writers in contemporary Europe, will engage in a public dialogue on the very first day of Bookfest.
***
Bulgaria will come to Bucharest with an impressive delegation of 14 writers, poets and children's authors representing some of the most important voices in contemporary Bulgarian literature. The public will be able to meet them both at events organised at Romexpo and during a series of discussions, book launches and readings taking place in bookshops and cultural venues across the city.
One of the most eagerly anticipated guests at Bookfest 2026 is Georgi Gospodinov, widely regarded as one of Europe's leading contemporary authors. Readers will have the opportunity to meet him both at Bookfest and at a separate event taking place outside the fair.
On Wednesday, following the official opening of this year's edition of Bookfest at 12:00 on the Arena Stage, the inauguration of Bulgaria's national stand will take place at 12:30.
Later the same day, at 18:00, Georgi Gospodinov will enter into dialogue with Mircea Cartarescu on the Arena Stage, with cultural journalist Mirela Nagat hosting the event. The following day, Thursday, at 19:00, Humanitas Bookshop at Cismigiu will host the launch of the most recent Romanian translation of his work, the novel 'Death and The Gardenerm,' published this year by Anansi. World Fiction in a translation by Mariana Mangiulea Jatop.
Other Bulgarian participants at the fair will include Ioanna Elmy, Elena Alexieva, Kostadin Kostadinov, Petia Kokudeva and Nadejda Radulova. In addition, Todor P. Todorov, the Bulgarian writer nominated for the European Union Prize for Literature in 2024, will take part in a discussion at Bookfest 2026 with Romanian writer Bogdan Cretu, nominated for the same prize in 2025.
On the opening day of Bookfest, at 17:00, the latest issue of LIK magazine, themed 'BG SPA - Health Through Water.' will be presented at the Bulgarian Stand. Guests will include AGERPRES National News Agency Director General Claudia Nicolae, BTA Bulgarian News Agency Director General Kiril Valchev and Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Romania Radko Vlaykov. The event will be moderated by journalist Martina Ganceva.
***
Publishers have prepared special promotional packages and discounts for visitors throughout the duration of the book fair.
Bookfest Bucharest 2026 will be open to visitors from 10:00 to 20:00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from 10:00 to 21:00 on Friday and Saturday. As with all previous editions of the fair, admission will be free of charge.
The Bookfest Book Fair is organised by the Romanian Publishers Association under the auspices of the Romanian Publishers Federation.
Bookfest is the most important book fair in Romania and the only event in the publishing industry to have developed a significant international dimension.
At previous international editions, the guest countries have included Spain, Hungary, France, the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy and the Republic of Moldova.
The Bookfest Book Fair also holds local editions in Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Targu Mures and Brasov, as well as another international edition in Chisinau. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)
The content of the www.agerpres.ro website has the exclusive purpose of public informing.
All the information published on this website by AGERPRES is protected by relevant legal dispositions.
It is forbidden to copy, reproduce, recompile, decompile, distribute, publish, display, modify, create derived components or products or full services, as well as any exploitation of the site's content.
Details in the section Terms of Use. If you are interested in picking up AGERPRES news items, please contact the Marketing Department – marketing@agerpres.ro.
The use of the Comments section entails your obligation to respect the AGERPRES terms and conditions in regards to the publishing of comments on the www.agerpres.ro.
Other news in category
DefMin Miruta: MApN's human resources policy must be anchored in current realities
Acting Defence Minister Radu Miruta on Saturday said that in the Defence Ministry (MApN) there is also 'a vein of people who, after having obtained some benefits, even if the times no longer correspond to their activity, do not want to give up and oppose any method of modernisation, of refreshing the Romanian armed forces.' He made this statement when
DefMin Miruta on drones: Russia will change its tactics, and we will have to readapt
The military decision to shoot down a drone labelled as 'hostile' is an immediate one, according to acting Minister of National Defence Radu Miruta, who says that a change in Russia's tactics in the use of these devices is to be expected, and Romania will have to readapt. The government official said in an interview with Digi 24 broadcast on Saturd
Drone explodes 100 metres inside Bulgaria after crossing from Romania
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at a briefing following a meeting of the Security Council under the Council of Ministers that at 08:10hrs on Saturday morning, a drone entered Bulgarian airspace from the north, and exploded approximately 100 metres inside Bulgarian territory, acording to the BTA Bulgarian National News Agency. The incident occurr
President Dan: Moody's confirms Romania's important steps of the last year
Moody's has confirmed the important steps that Romania has taken in the last year to balance its public finances and reduce spending, President Nicusor Dan said, after the international credit rating agency on Friday affirmed the Romanian government's long-term issuer rating at 'Baa3'. 'Affirming the country's rating in the recommended
Ciprian Ciucu: Work to secure apartment building in Rahova affected by explosion will take approximately 50 days
Work to secure the apartment building in Rahova affected by the explosion will take approximately 50 days, announced the Capital's General Mayor, Ciprian Ciucu. 'So far, water, electricity, and internet connections have been established, and contracts with suppliers required for setting up the construction site have been signed. Like any construction p
Gov't approves framework for electricity transmission company to order safety electricity market measures
The government on Friday adopted a legal framework for the Transelectrica S.A. national electricity transmission corporation, through the National Energy Dispatcher, to be able to order, until August 31, a series of safety measures if developments in the National Power Grid requires them. The measures could be taken during the time interval when there is a sho
University Palace's eagle and two griffins to be relocated to its pediment
The University of Bucharest (UB) on Saturday will relocate an eagle and two griffin sculpture to the pediment of its building in the centre of the capital city. The sculptural ensemble was almost entirely destroyed in the WWII bombings of 1944. According to UB, the installation of the three sculptures marks the beginning of a project of complete restoration of
Interim PM Bolojan: Ad hoc PSD-AUR alliance risks jeopardising PNRR milestones with amendments
Romania's interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Friday that although a large number of National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) milestones have been met through legislation adopted by Parliament, amendments introduced by an 'ad hoc PSD-AUR alliance' risk triggering financial penalties or being declared unconstitutional. 'With all thei
Transgaz seeks to become shareholder in US LNG terminal developer
Transgaz intends to become a shareholder in US company Argent LNG, the developer of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Louisiana, under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two companies. 'The Memorandum of Understanding signed today [Thursday] establishes a non-binding framework for the parties to explore, structure and negotiate the
Two students from the University of Brasov to represent Romania at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026
Transilvania University of Brasov will be represented at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, the world's largest international competition for vocational and technical skills, by a team comprising two students and one expert, according to a press release issued on Friday by the university. The two Brasov students, Miruna-Ioana Ungureanu and Dumitru-Vlad Crepse, bot
Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev to open Brasov Philharmonic's 2026-2027 season
Russian conductor and composer Mikhail Pletnev will open the Brasov Philharmonic's 2026-2027 season on Sept. 24 as pianist, performing with the symphony orchestra conducted by David Molard Soriano, the institution's management announced on Friday. The opening concert will feature Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Rondo in D major, Franz Schubert's monu
Bolojan: Delayed investments led to energy imbalances; combination of wrong decisions, ministerial changes, incompetence
Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Friday that delayed investments without a strategy led to major imbalances on the energy market, describing the situation as a 'combination of wrong decisions, changes of ministers, policies, incompetence and perhaps, at times, ill will.' 'Unfortunately, we are in a situation where, after years in which w
ANSVSA negotiates agreement in Ankara to facilitate transit of sheep and cattle carcasses through Türkiye
The National Veterinary Sanitary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) negotiated in Ankara the establishment of an agreement to facilitate the transit of sheep and cattle carcasses through Türkiye, a measure that provides major logistical advantages for access to Middle Eastern markets. According to an ANSVSA release sent to AGERPRES on Friday, the technica
Romanian firefighters continue to support colleagues in France and Greece
Romanian firefighters deployed on pre-positioning missions in the French Republic and the Hellenic Republic continued on Thursday to support the local authorities by carrying out monitoring, patrol and firefighting operations under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. According to a press release issued by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situa
Interim PM Bolojan: National interest must come before party, electoral interests
Romania's interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Friday that when the country's future is at stake, personal, party and electoral interests should give way to the national interest, stressing that the decisions of credit rating agencies assessing Romania in the coming period will depend on three key factors: budgetary performance, political stability and the out