Portugal, guest of honour at Bookfest 2025, 18th edition to gather 155 exhibitors, proposing 450 events

The general director of Humanitas Publishing House, Lidia Bodea, representative of the Romanian Publishers Association (AER), announced on Wednesday that the 18th edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair, to take place May 28 - June 1, in Pavilion B2 at Romexpo, will bring together 155 exhibitors, who will propose around 450 events."Bookfest 2025 means 155 exhibitors, 5,300 square metres out of the 15,000 square metres of the pavilion dedicated to the International Book Fair, set up with spaces for launches and stages open for debates. All in all, we are approaching 450 events this year, which for the five days of the Book Fair means a lot," Lidia Bodea told the press conference dedicated to the event, held at the Humanitas Bookshop in Cismigiu.She welcomed the participation of Portugal as guest of honour at this Bookfest edition, a special opportunity for Romanian readers to rediscover Portuguese literature and explore the Lusitanian cultural diversity through the books, authors, translators and publishers who will take part in the event."It is a joy that we are celebrating Bookfest's coming of age together and we will celebrate you in advance, if you like, because Portugal's Day is not very long after our Bookfest, on June 10, a day not randomly chosen, as a reference to Portugal's multi-century culture, a day linked to Camoes, not by chance. (...) As far as I know, there will also be Portuguese films, so, from time to time, the public will be able to take a break from browsing, reading or listening to book launches, book presentations, to meet Portuguese cinema," said the AER representative.The Portuguese ambassador in Bucharest, Paulo Cunha Alves, and the director of the Camoes Institute, Ana Rita Sousa, welcomed the event."Portugal's presence at Bookfest will endeavour to strengthen the cultural and literary ties between Portugal and Romania and to consolidate the place of Portuguese literature among the Romanian reading public. (...) We have created a rich programme that strives to satisfy a wide audience, attracting those already familiar with Portuguese literature, as well as those who will probably encounter Portuguese literature for the first time. I invite you all to attend Bookfest and visit our stand, where you will have access not only to a wide range of Portuguese literature, but also to interact with the Portuguese language and Portuguese culture more broadly," said the Portuguese diplomat.He announced that there will also be a 'Casa Portuguesa', where typical Portuguese food will be served, as well as an exhibition of typical Portuguese ceramics from Vista Alegre, a historical brand with a long tradition.Translator Simina Popa spoke about the programme proposed by Portugal, whose participation at Bookfest is taking place under the motto "Here, where the sea has ended and land awaits." (the words that end the novel 'Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature), who said that this 'small festival' will bring together 25 events, the list of Portuguese guests including the names of writers beloved by Romanian readers, as well as authors not yet translated into Romanian, and a number of professionals from the Portuguese book market.May 28 and 29 will be dedicated to professionals in the field, who will participate in a series of dialogues between Portuguese guests and Romanian experts on topics such as journalism and cultural entrepreneurship, reading as a tool for dialogue and democracy, strengthening cultural diversity, etc, said Simina Popa.The second half of the fair - from May 30 to June 1 - will be dedicated to purely literary events, with Portuguese writers in dialogue with Romanian writers, with a very wide range of genres and historical periods on display at the stand, from Portuguese poetry of the 12th century to the latest novels published in Portugal, theatre, children's books and more. Two winners of the prestigious Jose Saramago Prize will meet Romanian readers at Bookfest. They are Jose Luis Peixoto, who won the prize in 2001, and Goncalo M. Tavares, the 2005 winner, both of whom have been successfully translated into Romanian.During the conference, Oana Boca Stanescu, coordinator of the communication campaign and moderator of the event, announced that readers will be able to fill in a 'passport' at the Portugal stand, and that one reader will win a trip to Portugal, by drawing lots.A project co-funded by the Ministry of Culture, the Bookfest International Book Fair is organised by the Romanian Publishers Association, under the aegis of the Federation of Romanian Publishers, under the High Patronage of the President of Romania.The guest countries of honour at the previous international editions were: Spain, Hungary, France, the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), Poland, Czech Republic, Israel, Sweden, United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, Italy and Republic of Moldova.Bookfest Book Fair has local editions in Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Targu Mures, Brasov and another international edition in Chisinau.