Nobel winner Olga Tokarczuk to headline Book World Prague 2025

Polish author Olga Tokarczuk, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in literature, will be among the featured guests at Book World Prague 2025, organizers announced today.

The international book fair and literary festival, now in its 30th year, will take place in the Czech capital from May 15 to 18. This year’s guest of honor is Portugal, which will be represented by seven notable writers, including Lídia Jorge, known for her novels exploring societal change and the legacy of colonialism.

Festival director Radovan Auer said the event will feature 818 performers, 551 programs, and 11 exhibitions, with 398 exhibitors expected to participate.

“We believe this year’s exhibitor section and truly engaging program will be a worthy celebration of the 30th anniversary,” Auer told reporters.

Among the roughly 70 international writers attending are Georgi Gospodinov of Bulgaria, Andrey Kurkov of Ukraine, and Sam Holland from the United States. Dozens of Czech authors will also take part, including Alena Mornštajnová, Bianca Bellová, Jaromír 99, and Jiří Padevět.

As part of its commitment to promoting freedom of expression, the festival will honor imprisoned French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal with the Jiří Theiner Award.

A new hall at the festival will spotlight comic books and recent developments in young adult, science fiction, and fantasy literature. This year’s festival motto is a quote from Portuguese writer Ricardo Reis: “30! The energy of youth—the wisdom of books.”

In addition to Portuguese and Czech literature, there will be a strong presence from Nordic countries, neighboring Slovakia, and more distant regions, including Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Peru, and the U.S. German-language literature will once again be showcased through the Das Buch program, featuring authors from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

On May 16, the festival will host the announcement of the EU Prize for Literature. Thirteen nominated authors will be introduced as part of the ceremony, organized by a consortium of industry groups, including the Federation of European Publishers and the European and International Booksellers Federation, with support from the EU’s Creative Europe program.

The Central and East European Book Market, a professional platform launched by Book World Prague, will also return for its third edition. So far, representatives from 24 countries have registered to take part. The platform aims to connect publishing professionals with an interest in the literary markets of Central and Eastern Europe.

Last year, the festival drew an estimated 60,000 visitors.