The Thessaloniki International Book Fair returns with a polyphonic character.

It returns for the 19th year and promises us a crossroads of cultures and literature.

The Thessaloniki International Book Fair will take place from 4 to 7 May, with American Literature as the main theme. The return of the exhibition seems dynamic as it will be hosted in 4 buildings and 14 halls of the Helexpo premises and will be attended by more than 600 Greek and foreign book professionals, while almost 500 events will take place, with the participation of 1,200 speakers. 22 publishers and major authors from the USA have been invited to the American Pavilion, including Abrams Books Publishing Company, Insight Editions, Macmillan Publishers, MoMa Publications, Penguin Random House, The Quarto Group, Yale University Press, Harvard University Press, etc. a American Literature Honored Three literary agents from the USA will travel to Thessaloniki to participate in the 1st Thessaloniki Book Fair Fellowship program, which is being launched this year by the Thessaloniki Book Fair, with 20 publishers and literary agents from 16 different countries of the world. In addition, Greek audiences will meet in the halls of the Thessaloniki Book Fair important American authors who will travel to Thessaloniki, including James Wood (ANTIPODES), Claire Messud (DARDANOS-GUTENBERG), Richard Jackson (ESTIA), as well as the authors Nell Zink, Saskia Vogel, Meg Rosoff, and Ismini Lamb, invited by the Hellenic Foundation for Culture.

The crossroads of cultures extends to France, which participates in the exhibition with seven authors, including two who have received Goncourt prizes. Makenzy Orce (Makenzy Orce), the award-winning French writer of Haitian origin and finalist for the prestigious Goncourt Prize 2022, and Mohamed Muggar-Shar from Senegal, winner of the Goncourt Prize 2021, will meet the Greek audience at the TIF as well as five other important French writers invited by the French Institute of Thessaloniki in collaboration with the French Institute of Thessaloniki

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The new literary talents will of course not be missing from the TIF, aiming to promote the European creators of the Old Continent. The International Fair collaborates with the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) and invites award-winning authors from Greece and other European countries in the context of encouraging and expanding translation exchanges. Jan Carson (Ireland), Lana Bastašić (Bosnia), Ioanna Parvulescu (Romania) and Takis Kambylis, Nikos Chrysos, Kallia Papadaki, Makis Tsitas from Greece.

The presence of multi-translated, Booker 2023 nominee Georgi Gospodinov, invited by his Greek publisher (IKAROS), frames the dynamic return of Bulgaria to the TIF after several years of absence. Bulgaria participates with a pavilion organized by the Bulgarian Publishers Association with the presence of its representatives who will participate in the professional meeting programmes and the director of the Bulgarian National Book Centre Svetlozar Zhelev. Rumena Bužarovska (North Macedonia), Lana Bastašić (Bosnia), Ylljet Alicka (Albania). The polyphonic character of this year’s event is enriched by the presence of authors, translators and book professionals from around 40 countries, creating a platform for meeting, networking and dialogue without borders undoubtedly.

Spain, France, Germany, Germany, Israel, Palestine and America become one in this great gathering of people in the field and people who love books. While the initiative of the Embassy of Israel together with Kastaniotis Publications who invite the distinguished Israeli writer Ayelet Gundar-Goshen for her book “The Liar and the City” which deals with #metoo, positions the multidimensional character of the exhibition. Furthermore, TIF visitors will have the opportunity to meet the distinguished Spanish writer Manuel Vilas, invited by the Cervantes Institute and Icarus Publications, and the Basque writer Patxi Zubizarreta, invited by the Basque Language and Culture Institute (Etxepare Euska lInstitutua). The Palestinian-Icelandic writer Mazen Maarouf will travel from Reykjavik, Iceland, to present to the Greek audience his multitranslated book “Militant Jokes”, which will be published in Greek by Haramada. Author, translator, journalist and poet, Maarouf is the recipient of major European and Middle Eastern awards, with the highlight of his career so far being his nomination for the Man Booker International Prize 2019.