In two days, the 18th edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair will kick off: May 28 - June 1

The best books at the best prices are available from Wednesday to Sunday, at Romexpo, pavilion B2

Portugal is the Guest of Honor of this edition, and the prepared event program is truly spectacular

The Bookfest International Book Fair, now in its 18th edition, opens its doors this week at Romexpo Bucharest. From Wednesday, May 28, until Sunday, June 1, visitors are welcomed in pavilion B2 by the best books at the best prices. In the nearly 160 stands present, the publishers have prepared, in addition to special packages with the best offers and discounts, special meetings with many cultural personalities from Romania and Portugal, who is the Guest of Honor of this edition.

Therefore, at Bookfest 2025 you can meet some of the most important authors of the moment, including: Mircea Cărtărescu, Gabriel Liiceanu, Mircea Mihăieș, Doina Ruști, Radu Paraschivescu, Tatiana Niculescu, Ioana Părvulescu, Adrian Miroiu, Cristian Preda, Robert Șerban, Denisa Comănescu, Dinu Flămând, as well as Cristina Andone, Augustin Cupșa or Alex Moldovan, who will be present at the publishing houses' stands or at the open stages for launches, interviews and autograph sessions.

Entrance to the public is free both within the Book Fair and at the events scheduled during it.

The guest of honor, Portugal, has prepared events, book launches, debates and workshops for children every day, of which we can only mention a small part. Thus, the inauguration of the Portugal stand will be on the opening day, Wednesday, May 28, at 12:30; The festive moment will be followed, from 4 pm, also at the Guest of Honor's stand, by the round table Books, courage and communities: on the power of independent cultural businesses, to which Rosa Azevedo, Raul Popescu and  Ana Sipciu are invited.

One of the most consistent moments in the program will take place on Thursday, May 29, from 6 pm, at the Arena stage, where the public is invited to attend an exciting debate: Reading as a public space: how books keep a democratic society alive, held by Henrique Mota (former president of the Portuguese Publishers Association and the Federation of European Publishers), literary agent Simona Kessler, publisher Lidia Bodea and professor Mircea Vasilescu, moderated by  former Minister of Culture Corina Șuteu. Then, at the end of the second day of Bookfest, the round table Cultural Journalism: Art or a Formula for Social Coagulation? will take place at the Portuguese stand, with Ana Margarida de Carvalho and Ioana Stăncescu as guests, and Iolanda Frandeș-Vasile as moderator.

An interesting event is also announced for Saturday, May 31, at 2 p.m., at the Guest of Honor stand, when you can find out how happiness is measured, during a dialogue with Portuguese writer David Machado about the novel Average Happiness Index, translated by Veronica Manole. Veronica Manole and George Cornilă are invited to join the author, and the dialogue is moderated by Simina Popa.

The last days of Bookfest include events dedicated to the great names of Portuguese literature, such as Antonio Lobo Antunes, who will be honored on Saturday, May 31, at the Agora stage, from 12:00, starting with the translation of the novel Fado Alexandrino, in the presence of academic Carmen Mușat, writer Radu Paraschivescu, translators Cristina Dăscălescu Dordea and Dinu Flămâand and the director of the Camões Institute, Ana Rita de Sousa, moderated by Denisa Comănescu, director of the Humanitas Fiction publishing house. Then, from 4:00, on the Arena stage, José Luís Peixoto will enter into a dialogue with the editor and writer Bogdan-Alexandru Stănescu on a subject as vast as it is attractive: “The world as seen by José Luís Peixoto”; following, from 6 pm, on the Arena stage, is a dialogue that promises to be equally exciting, between G.M. Tavares and T.O. Bobe, twobetween the too discreet personalities of the two literatures. Finally, on Sunday, June 1, at 2 p.m., editor and translator Dan Croitoru will moderate a dialogue about the author's series “José Saramago”, having as a starting point the launch of the most recent translation, Quasiobiect. Along with Dan Croitoru, the discussion will be attended by editor and writer Bogdan-Alexandru Stănescu, literary critic Carmen Mușat, writer José Luís Peixoto and translator Simina Popa. 

Learning through play at Bookfest Junior

Throughout the book fair, publishers await the youngest readers with events brought together under the dome of Bookfest Junior with surprises in the form of creative or theater workshops, book launches and photo and autograph sessions. In the series of activities for children, Didactica Publishing House proposes on Thursday, May 29, from 4 pm, the creative workshop Draw your own story character, coordinated by author and illustrator Diana Tivu.

Cartex Publishing House welcomes us, at the same time, at the Arena stage, with a theater workshop starting from a script based on the beloved series Cireșarii, by Constantin Chiriță.

Children are expected on Friday, May 30, from 10:30 am, to participate in unexpected adventures through the comic book workshop of the author Mihai Grăjdeanu, prepared at the Didactica Publishing House stand. Next, the well-known children's author, Adina Rosetti, awaits young readers at the ART stand, at 12:00, for the launch of the book The Last Challenge, which explores some of the turmoil and anxieties of breaking away from childhood in the contemporary world. Then, the Polirom publishing house includes in Bookfest Junior, starting at 1:00, two  history workshops, based on the volumes History told to children, Suntem de neoprit and A graphic history, which will take place at the publishing house's stand.

Also on Friday, from 2 pm, ART publishing house invites children to its stand for a drawing session and illustrated autographs, through Dan Ungureanu, the illustrator of the beloved story The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - now published in the Arthur Retro collection.

Saturday, May 31, Opera comică pentru copii has prepared the launch of the book Bubu explorăzaţă Opera comică pentru Copii by Andreea Soare and Irina Furdui, from 11 am, right at the Clubul Bookfest Junior.

StoryCraft Publishing House invites teenagers to the Writers' Cafe, starting at 11 a.m.,  for the launch of the Teens collection. The event will feature Diana Cibu, author of Popol Vuh. The Lost Manuscript, Rebeca Sala, author of The Boy in the Dream and the Murderer's Secret -  a captivating story about family secrets, trust and the difficult choices that define us, Raul Pacea, author of The Last Curse of Camelot - a novel about a descendant of Merlin, a Bucharest full of secrets and a witch who never gave up her thirst for revenge and Alina Skylark, author of Player: LunaDeFoc și merele de aur.

Books become shows and cartoons: The Invisibles, by Ioana Pârvulescu and the Țup, series by Alex Donovici

The day continues with an interactive poetry workshop for children, organized by Cartex Publishing House and supported by Carmen Tiderle and Ramona Boldizsar, at the Bookfest Junior Club, from 11 am. From 11.30 am, Humanitas Publishing House awaits juniors at its stand for the launch of an exceptional illustrated edition of the book The Cat and the Devil by James Joyce. Lidia Bodea and Radu Paraschivescu will talk to us about the old French story humorously retold by James Joyce - this time, in the role of translator of this edition.

Bookfest 2025 also celebrates a special book, which has become, in less than two years since its publication, a musical full of emotion and with a charming message: it is The Invisibles, by Ioana Pârvulescu. On Children's Day, on June 1st, the Arena stage will host a flashmob, The Invisibles, in which the actors from the musical will draw book buyers into Laura's world, spontaneously saying to those near the stage: "Did you hear? Laura can't read!" and showing them the stage where the two Laures (the main characters) will be usicalului), the little girls who play in the show, in a double cast. Led by the Librarian of Librarians (Adrian Nour), the actors who will conduct the entire moment will join the Laurels and will perform several fragments from the musical, presenting the story. After the flashmob, the audience will participate in a debate with the author Ioana Pârvulescu, the musical's director and screenwriter, Claudia Ciobanu, the composer Cornel Ilie, the actors Adrian Nour and Ecaterina Ladin and the show's producer, Andrei Boncea, in which they will talk about the journey of a book towards becoming a musical.

Next, Curtea Veche Publishing and ProTV present on the Arena stage, at 1 p.m., the animated series Țup, based on the Țup book series by author Alex Donovici.

Gabriel Liiceanu pays tribute to Mario Vargas Llosa

But Bookfest is also the place where debates on important economic topics are held. For example, the Romania of Tomorrow Foundation publishing house brings up the situation of the country's industry, with the launch of the volume If there is no industry, there is nothing. The reindustrialization of Romania and the Economist at the Prince's Court. Economic studies and essays, signed by professor Mircea Coșea. Both representatives of the press and university professors and lecturers are expected to attend the debate. The event takes place at the publishing house's stand, Wednesday, May 28, from 5 p.m.

Also worth noting is the launch at the Vremea publishing house's stand on Thursday, May 29, from 4 p.m., when the latest volume of Coriolan Babeți,Wanderer among the Heavens, will be presented, “The center of the world is always occupied, so that walking on the border, no matter how formidable, that separates Good from Evil, Heaven from Hell, can, through a simple twist, slip or inattention, throw you either to the right, to Heavens, or to the left, to Hell, or into the abyss below you.”

&Incrc;In the same Today, from 4:30 p.m., Humanitas Publishing House proposes the volume Romania after the First World War. A complex modernization together with the authors Alberto Basciani and Cristina Brăgea. The studies brought together in this volume, written by specialists in the history of Romania and interwar Europe, analyze the various facets of the modernization process: the attitude of the Romanian elites towards the new state organization, the unification of different legislative systems specific to each region of the country, interfaith issues and interethnic relations.

Gabriel Liiceanu, the publisher in Romania of Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, will participate on Thursday, May 29, at 5 p.m., at the round table In memoriam Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-2025, marked by the launch of the book The Feast of the Goat, written by the man who left us this year. The dialogue between Gabriel Liiceanu and his guests will take place at the Arena stage.

Andrei Pleșu talks about the aftermath of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II

Editura Cartex invites the public on Friday, May 30, from 3 p.m., to the Arena stage, to enter the world of Mircea Eliade, with the launch of the novel Shamanism Before and After Mircea Eliade, written by Giovanni Casadio. This volume can constitute a model for the scientific interpretation of Eliade's work, not only in terms of shamanism, but also in terms of the other major themes of the work, proposing an overview of both the evolution of studies dedicated to shamanism and the tensions between the various schools of interpretation, offering a fascinating spectacle of how different scientific methods identify, confront and define themselves.

From 4 pm, the meeting at the Arena stage with writer Andrei Pleșu, journalist Marian Voicu and Bessarabian writer and publicist Val Butnaru is not to be missed. The meeting is on the occasion of the launch of the historical novel Insomnia, signed by Val Butnaru, published by Arc Publishing House and set in the years following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. The event will end with an autograph session.

Catherine Nixey and her new Heresy, presented at the Humanitas stand

On Friday, May 30, at 5:30 p.m., Humanitas Publishing House invites us to turn the pages of history in a debate with guests Sabina Fati, Cristian Preda and Tudor Dinu. They will discuss the volumes Imperium of the Black Sea. Glories and the Decline of Mithridates the Great's World by Duane W. Roller, The Year Civilization Fell by Eric H. Cline, Heresy. Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God by Catherine Nixey and The Antichrist. A 2000-Year History  by Philip C. Almond.

Also at 5:30 p.m., but at the Writers' Cafe this time, the publishing house for Art and Literature recommends the novel Eight Hundred Meters, One Thousand Six Hundred Steps to You by author Simona Ferrante. Simone Ferrante's book tells the disturbing stories of those forced to leave their homeland for reasons related to the fragility of the world and the complexity of human nature - fear, hope, survival, but it also speaks of the beauty of the bonds that are born in the midst of suffering. It is a book about courage and resilience, about longing and impossible choices, about shame and dignity, about unexpected friendships and saving loves.

An initiatory journey into the world of Fernando Pessoa

For Friday afternoon, Polirom Publishing House has prepared a meeting with the literary critic and, here, the writer Mihai Zamfir, who will present his latest novel, Căderea cortinei, at 6 p.m. With a Bucharest on the verge of major political changes at the end of the 1980s as a backdrop, Fernando tries to find the balance between loyalty to his political past and the harsh realities of the present. As the communist regime crumbles, the dilemma of returning to Portugal, where his wife and daughter await him, becomes increasingly pressing, while Jean-Paul, deeply dedicated to the cause, has an exit from the stage whose significance only he seems to intuit.

Starting at 6:30 p.m., the public is expected at the Polirom stand, for the launch of the short prose volume Toti părăștii din viața meaby Petre Barbu, published in the Fiction Ltd collection.

The Humanitas Fiction Publishing House, together with the Camões Institute, is organizing the round table De la Cartea nelinistirii la Educația stoicului, dedicated to Fernando Pessoa, at the Arena stage, Starting at 6 p.m. Moderator Denisa Comănescu will have Ana-Rita Sousa, Dinu Flămând, Paul Cernat and Corina Nuțu as guests. “&In a preface sketch composed for his heteronymic work, Pessoa himself drew a comparison between Baron de Teive, Bernardo Soares and &Álvaro de Campos, the latter being the most expansive and revolting heteronymic in the family. The two appear to us as misfits to real life, but eager to produce fragments, texts, literature – that is, an “work”, even if it is precarious” (Dinu Flăm&a&an&c;nd about the volume Education of the Stoic)

Weekend in the World of Van Gogh

Saturday introduces the Bookfest audience to the world of the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh. From 11:30, at the Arca stage, the publishing house for Art and Literature presents the volume The Beautiful in the World of Van Gogh and Other Essays.In his most recent novel, the essayist Cosmin Neidoni establishes himself as a philosopher with artistic training.

Humanitas Publishing House invites us, starting at 12 noon, to the launch of the album Atlasul frămăștii, o nua târță. Portraits and stories about the power of women by Mihaela Noroc, which includes 500 new portraits from over 60 countries – a visual tribute to the diversity, beauty and power of women around the world.

Also at 12 noon, Polirom Publishing House invites the public to its stand for the launch of the novel Job and His Righteousness. Author Adrian Miroiu “deals with a serious theme that theological tradition has highlighted with poignancy: the problem of the existence, role and purpose of evil, as well as the way in which it is spread in the world (therefore, the idea of ​​divine justice).” 

The most recent Journal of Mircea Cărtărescu

At the Humanitas stand, from 12:30, the meeting with the beloved author Doina Ruști for the presentation of the autobiographical novel Ferenike. The novel “reconfirms Doina Ruști's infallible storytelling instinct. A formidable cinematic prose, with mythological resonances, in which the scenes unfold before our eyes, and some even run in a loop, continuously, obsessively, as a reminder of the sufferings of the past world, viewed not with detail but with a sense of urgency. (Roxana Dumitrache) The dialogue between the author and her guests, Bogdan Stănescu and Lidia Bodea, will end with an autograph session,

The audience who loved Rodica Ojog Brașoveanu's detective and mystery novels has the opportunity to see her reborn between the pages of the book Rodica Ojog-Brașoveanu. 320 cats in the Bellu Cemeteryby Liliana Calancea,published in the series of Romanized Biographies by Polirom Publishing House. The book launch will take place at the publishing house's stand, Saturday, May 31, at 1 p.m.

We remain with the Polirom publishing house, which, from 1:30 p.m., proposes another biography for launch - Maiorescu. Confessions of a Stoic,written by Adrian Jicu, about the well-known literary critic and founder of the Junimea Society in Iași.  Also from 1:30 p.m., but at the Humanitas stand, Mircea Cărtărescu proposes a discussion about Seven Strange Years. Journal 2018-2024, the journal volume that the author îrecommends to the public, along with his guests, Dan-Liviu Boeriu and Lidia Bodea.

The most recent releases from Biblioteca Polirom

Tracus Arte Publishing House launches, at 2 p.m., the volume of short prose and, at the same time, the editorial debut of the author Irina Forgo, Dragoste și alte imperfectțiuni. “Irina Forgo plays with love with an infectious freedom. The biggest surprise is that the tension almost always arises from the author's joy of writing itself – a pleasure that is felt in details, in dialogues, in funny changes of tone. It is an unsought joy, but so present, that keeps you hooked. Sometimes, when you least expect it, you laugh or find yourself fooled, just like in love.” (Bogdan Munteanu). The launch is followed by an autograph session by the author.

At the Polirom publishing house stand, also at 2 p.m., Dan Croitoru, Polirom editorial director, will present the new items from the Polirom Library collection: Your Absence is Darkness by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, Zăpadă by John Banville, Vârsta târzie by Bernhard Schlink, Fabrica by Simone van der Vlugt, Prietenii mei by Hisham Matar and Dezorientații by Amin Maalouf. Dana Pîrvan, Ariadna Ponta, Florin Iaru, Cristina Ispas, Bogdan Tănase and Alexandra Cozmolici are invited to the dialogue.

The program continues at the Humanitas publishing house stand at 2:30 p.m., where Tatiana Niculescu invites readers to the presentation of her latest novel, Saint No. 6. “The character of this story was born in a village in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was educated in different languages ​​and cultures, met empresses and queens, was an active participant in the founding of Greater Romania, and went through two world wars. He then found himself in a world upside down, where politics and state religion were crushing destinies, erasing identities, falsifying history, and perverting the mind. How did he keep his composure as he advanced on the Unknown Path, into disaster and failure? His secret is his story.”

Radu Paraschivescu brings a new collection of ”pearls”

On Saturday, May 31, at 3 p.m., at the Humanitas stand, writer Gabriel Liiceanu launches his latest volume, The Second Life of My Books, which brings together some of the interviews he has given in recent years. “I would be happy for this book to be discovered by anyone who opens it with the surprise with which I discovered it in its final form,”, confesses Gabriel Liiceanu. The author will be joined by Dan-Liviu Boeriu and Magda Grădinaru, and the event will end with an autograph session.

Next, from 3:30 p.m., Radu Paraschivescu will bring to the attention of visitors his most recent volume, &Inc;r;i n virtutea ineptiei. Nuă anthology de perles. Will you laugh reading the absurdities in the volume? That is to be desired. Will you go from amusement to stupor? That is to be expected. Will you reread certain passages, then rub your eyes warily? That is to be expected. But then, once the laughter has died down or the smile has disappeared, you will probably ask yourself a few questions about the celebrities of the day, or possibly of the decade, be they from politics, business, sports or entertainment. On its 35th anniversary, Humanitas awaits readers at its own stand, Saturday, May 31, from 6:40 p.m., at the launch of vol. to the collective Letters for readers in 2125. A multi-voiced epistolary, coordinated by Ioana Pârvulescu. &Incirc;among the authors we find Lidia Bodea, Dan-Liviu Boeriu,  Gabriel Liiceanu, Cristian Mungiu, Radu Paraschivescu and Andrei Pleșu. “&In the hope that this sign of normality, intelligence and civility, that this sign of life that is reading will exist in a hundred years, through this volume we send greetings in multiple voices to the people of 2125. Well caught up in the present and yet surpassing it, the letters in the volume certainly have a future.“ (Ioana Pârvulescu)

Mihai Maci talks about The coming generations and the drifts of modernity

Medical psychology is a branch of general psychology that studies the psychosocial aspects associated with the medical act, with the aim of restoring the person's health and reintegrating them into the social and family environment. We will find out more about this topic at 12 noon, at the Polirom publishing house stand. Author Doina Cosman launches the volume Medical Psychology, which analyzes the main themes of psychology applied to medicine: health and illness, the psychology of the suffering person, the psychology of the doctor, therapeutic compliance, psychology in the case of medical limits.

On Sunday, June 1, at 12 noon, Humanitas Fiction Publishing House launches the latest volume, composed of 11 stories, by Ludmila Ulitskaya, called The Body of the Soul. ”We know much more about the body than about the soul. No one can draw a map of the soul. Only the border area can sometimes be sensed. There, as you approach this narrow strip, some vibrations are stirred, some subtle details are revealed, about which it is impossible even to speak in our wonderful, but limited language. It is a risky approach, even dangerous. But, the longer you live, the more strongly this area attracts you to it. (Ludmila Ulitskaia)

Polirom Publishing House proposes, from 1 pm, a discussion about Mihai Maci's most recent volume,  &Inainte nei ansvar, &intrebari. The generations that come and the drifts of modernity. “Very rarely have I been given the opportunity to read a book so ruthless with immediate reality, yet so logical and rigorous in its demonstrations.” (Andrei Cornea) The author will be joined by guests Mircea Dumitru, Armand Goșu and Paul Gabriel Sandu, in a dialogue moderated by Mihaela Moroșanu.

&In the Polirom Library collection, the novel Orbirea râurilor by the author Mia Couto was published, awarded the Camões Prize, Neustadt International Prize for Literature, FIL Prize for Literature in Romance Languages, PEN/Nabokov Award, a novel that will be presented at the Guest of Honor stand, Sunday, June 1, at 1 p.m. “&In Mozambique at the end of the colonial era, a real tragedy - the massacre of some African soldiers and a Portuguese soldier by the German army in 1914 - becomes the starting point for an intense and profound narrative in which the voices of the forgotten come to light.” (Simina Popa)

What I Didn't Know About the National-Legionary State

From 2:30 p.m., Humanitas Fiction Publishing House invites readers to its stand to discover the books I Gave You Eyes and You Looked in the Dark by Irene Solà and The Black Eye of the River by Jeanette Winterson. A feverish and mature novel, with an exuberant lyricism, I Gave You Eyes and You Stared in the Dark confirms the originality of an unparalleled author. It is winner of the Lletra d'Or Prize in 2024 and translated into over 30 countries. In a captivating volume of ghost stories, Jeanette Winterson, “one of the most talented writers of our time“ (New York Times), combines with originality themes such as revenge, love, loneliness and, above all, the supernatural and artificial intelligence. Jana Matei, Alina Purcaru and Denisa Comănescu, director of the Humanitas Fiction publishing house, are invited to the dialogue.

Editura Corint invites the public, from 3 pm, to the Arca stage, for a serious discussion about our past, with the launch of the volume Statul național-legionar, signed by Florin Müller. &In consonance with certain aspects of the public discourse of recent times, this volume îproposes to shed light &i about the history of Romania, after the proclamation of the national-legionary state, on September 6, 1940. “Florin Müller's book is an essential tool for combating the falsifying fantasies and mythologies regarding Romanian fascism. With precision and rigor, using a wide range of historical sources, the author reconstructs the origins, functioning structure and fatal consequences of the national-legionary state,” writes university professor Florin Abraham about the book.

The complete program of events can be consulted on the Bookfest website: https://bookfest.ro/programul-evenimentelor-bookfest-bucuresti-2025

As with all Bookfest events, public entry will be free to the Salon. Bookfest Bucharest 2025 will be open from 10 and 20 (Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday) and 10-21 (Friday and Saturday).

The Bookfest 2025 International Book Fair is organized by the Romanian Publishers Association, under the aegis of the Romanian Publishers Federation and with the support of the Embassy of the Portuguese Republic in Romania and the Camões Institute.

Main partner: Dedeman Association

Co-financier: Ministry of Culture

Partner: Haret 4 Humanity

Media partners: Television Romanian, Rock FM, Booknation, Children's News.

Bookfest is the most important book fair in Romania and the only event in the publishing industry that has managed to acquire a significant international dimension. Over 170 exhibitors were present at the 2024 Bookfest International Book Fair (Bucharest, May 28 - June 1, 2024), with the five-day program including over 400 events, from launches and debates to film screenings and interactive events. The Guest of Honor of the 2024 edition was the Republic of Moldova. In previous international editions, the invited countries were: Spain, Hungary, France, German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), Poland, Czech Republic, Israel, Sweden, the United States of America, Great Britain, Japan, Italy and the Republic of Moldova.

The Bookfest Book Fair has local editions in Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca, Târgu Mureș, Brașov and another international edition in Chișinău.