BOOKSTAN. NO EAST. NO WEST.
International Literature Festival Sarajevo, 1−4 July 2026
Where is East, where is West? Where do you cross from one to another? Can you understand one without the other? Can you be or have both? The easiest thing to do is to keep them separated, imagine or build a wall between them. But what if you can't have one without the other? What if you don't have to choose? What if the distinction matters only in the field of basic geography? What if there is a literary festival with guests who create spaces where there is neither East nor West, but just humans and their stories? —Aleksandar Hemon, 2016
The BOOKSTAN International Literature Festival (organised by the publishing house Buybook) is among the most distinctive and popular festivals in the Balkan region, exploring important cultural, political and social topics of the day. Our festival is dedicated to breaking global divisions with guest appearances of authors of fragile identities and minority affiliations, exploring freedom, fluid narratives and colonial history, questioning the ways in which the literary cosmos develops amidst social chaos, as well as the mechanisms by which life and art mutually besiege themselves. Over the past decade, BOOKSTAN welcomed hundreds of distinguished authors, including: Orhan Pamuk, Hanif Kureishi, Geert Mak, Colm Tóibín, Hervé Le Tellier, Peter Maass, Benjamin Moser, Rabih Alameddine, Mathias Énard, Mosab Abu Toha, Rawi Hage, Kader Abdolah, Xiaolu Guo, Adania Shibli and many more.
The 11th BOOKSTAN in 2026 will be held under the title Gluho doba / Devil’s Hour. In a time marked by revisionism, distorted memories of the past, and the growing dominance of falsehood over truth, BOOKSTAN explores the role of literature as a space for meaning, hope, and critical reflection. By bringing together diverse voices and perspectives, the festival continues its mission of fostering dialogue beyond fixed values and binaries, offering literature as a way to confront trauma, rethink reality, and imagine more humane futures.
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