Portugal, guest of honor
of the Bookfest International Book Fair,
2025 edition
The 18th edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair, which will take place at Romexpo between May 28 and June 1, 2025, has Portugal as its guest of honor, a special opportunity for Romanian readers to rediscover Portuguese literature and explore the Portuguese cultural diversity through the books, authors, translators and publishers that will take part in the event.
„«Where the sea ended and the earth awaits» is the motto that will guide our presence at Bookfest. It is a slogan rich in meanings, but also a choice that brings together the most important Portuguese writers: they are the words that end the novel "The Year of Ricardo Reis's Death" by José Saramago, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature. Ricardo Reis is, however, also one of the heteronyms of Fernando Pessoa, one of the most brilliant Portuguese writers. More than that, it is a paraphrase of José Saramago, through Pessoa, from «Lusiada», by Luís Vaz de Camões, the most important literary personality of Portugal, whose era is the basis of the Portuguese identity and who represents the main figure for our National Day, June 10.
«Where the sea ended and the land awaits» captures both the physical image of Portugal, as the place where the Atlantic meets the European continent for the first time, but it is also an emotional evocation that encompasses several symbols: discovery, mystery, nostalgia, adventure, longing, embarking on a journey whose destination is not yet known, but which is known to be full of "It's a wonderful coincidence. We invite you to embark with us on this literary journey, in the months leading up to it, but also throughout the five days of Bookfest," said His Excellency Paulo Cunha Alves, Ambassador of Portugal to Romania. The list of Portuguese guests at Bookfest 2025 includes both the names of writers beloved by Romanian readers and authors not yet translated into Romanian, along with a number of professionals from the Portuguese book market. Two of the winners of the prestigious José Alves Prize Saramago will meet Romanian readers at Bookfest. They are José Luís Peixoto, the winner of the award in 2001, and Gonçalo M. Tavares, the winner in 2005, both of whom have been successfully translated into Romanian.
José Luís Peixoto, a writer translated into over 30 languages and considered one of the most important voices in Portuguese literature today, will sign autographs for readers at Bookfest 2025 on his latest translation: The Dogs of Galveias, a moving novel, a quintessence of Portuguese identity. The book is in preparation at Editura Trei, under the umbrella of the imprint „Anansi. World Fiction”, translated by Simina Popa.
The writer Gonçalo M. Tavares, about whom José Saramago said he could one day win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which Alberto Manguel considers one of the great names of universal literature, and Enrique Vila-Matas compares him to Kafka and Lobo Antunes, will also meet Romanian readers at this year's edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair. Having successfully translated books to several publishing houses both in Romania and in the Republic of Moldova (Casa Cărții de Știință, Humanitas Fiction, Cartier, Univers, Allfa), Gonçalo M. Tavares is certainly one of the Portuguese guests that Romanian readers are eagerly awaiting.
The writer Ana Margarida de Carvalho, known both as a multi-award-winning journalist and successful screenwriter, is on the list of Portuguese writers who will arrive in Bucharest. She is the author of three novels and two books of short stories, which have won important awards, including the European Union Prize for Literature in 2021. Her most recent book, Cartografias de Lugares mal Situados (10 contos da guerra), published in 2021, was a finalist for the PEN Cl Award Portuguese.
João Melo, a writer who divides his time between Angola, Portugal and the United States of America, will also arrive in Bucharest at the end of May. A founding member of the Union of Writers of Angola and the Angolan Academy of Letters and Social Sciences, João Melo is the author of 26 books, including poetry, short stories, essays and a novel. His writings have been translated into the United States, Cuba and Italy and have been included in numerous international anthologies.
Maria do Rosário Pedreira is a well-known poet, editor, author of children's books and fado lyrics. Her children's books have been adapted for television and have entered the established fictional universe of Portuguese teenagers. An appreciated voice of today's Lusitanian poetry, Maria do Rosário Pedreira was awarded the Inés de Castro Foundation Prize in 2012. Her name is also appreciated in the world of book publishing, thanks to her work as an editor at one of the most important Portuguese publishing houses, Leya.
Mafalda Milhões, one of the most talented illustrators in the Portuguese book world, author, editor and promoter of reading, is coming to Bookfest 2025. Appreciated both for her talent and for the powerful messages behind her creations, Mafalda Milhões is one of the driving forces behind the editorial project “O Bichinho de Conto”, the beloved publishing house and bookstore in Lisbon. Mafalda Milhões declares that for her, reading means listening, being and feeling.
Another Portuguese author who won the European Union Prize for Literature in 2015 and was on the list of guests of honour at Bookfest 2025 is David Machado. Indice mediu de fericire (translated by Veronica Manole, Casa Cărții de Știința Publishing House), the novel that won him the famous European prize, was later adapted for cinema, in a film signed by director Joaquim Leitão. David Machado is also one of the most popular Portuguese authors of books for children and young people, with titles that have sold in impressive print runs, accompanied by good reviews from critics. Three of his books, The Bathtub Shark, illustrated by Paulo Galindro, The Night of the Invented Animals, illustrated by Teresa Lima, and I Think I Can Help, illustrated by Mafalda Milhões, will appear in translation at Bookfest, by Ars Libri Publishing House (translated by Isabel Tischer).
The list of guests from Portugal at Bookfest 2005 is completed by two professionalsof the Portuguese book market.
Henrique Mota, president of the Federation of European Publishers, founder of the independent publishing house Princípia Editora, is one of them. Her presence at Bookfest will allow those present at the event to meet one of today's most experienced publishers, an opportunity for debates and professional round tables.
Rosa Azevedo, a professional in the world of book publishing appreciated at European level, will also take part in the debates at Bookfest 2025. Rosa, co-owner of the independent bookstore Snob in Lisbon, was present at the last two editions of the Rise Bookselling Conference, in Lisbon in 2024 and in Riga in 2025, to talk about independent bookstores, and was part of the jury of the Oceanos Prize (Portugal-Brazil) for two editions. She also represents Portugal as a juror for the European Prize for Literature in 2025. Since 2007, Rosa has been teaching several courses on Portuguese literature, in addition to other production activities related to literature, especially in the fields of surrealism, independent publishing and 20th-century Portuguese women writers.
A unique editorial project will see the light of day at Bookfest 2025: an anthology of contemporary Portuguese stories, entitled Waves, dunes, open houses (coordinator: Ana Rita Reis, Casa Cărții de Știință Publishing House), published with the support of the Camões Institute.
The volume aims to bring to the Romanian public sixteen contemporary authors who, in addition to other literary genres addressed, have distinguished themselves as authors of stories in Portuguese and are not yet, for the most part, available in Romanian. The selection includes authors from different generations, although the stories brought together in this volume were published in the last 20 years.years. The new editorial project will allow Romanian readers to become familiar with some of the most important contemporary Portuguese fiction writers and the most diverse stylistic trends, suggesting a generic but inspired literary map, starting from the most well-known authors to emerging talents.
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The 18th edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair will take place at Romexpo between May 28 and June 1, 2025.
The Portuguese stand, created with the support of the Portuguese Embassy in Bucharest, Camões, I.P., Academia do Bacalhau de Bucareste, Dancing Lobster, Confrasilvas, Solarealize Ro SRL, M2O Project SRL, will be located in Pavilion B2. At the stand, those interested will be able to find a wide range of books in Portuguese, as well as Romanian editions of well-known Portuguese books.
Contact person:
- Headsome Communication: Oana Boca Stănescu / +40 722 609 478, oana@headsome.ro
