12th European Literature Festival “Bukstar” opens today in Skopje under the motto “What does freedom need?”

The 12th edition of the European Literature Festival “Bukstar” opens today in Skopje and will run until September 30, under the motto “What does freedom need?”, as Biznis Vesti reports based on the statement of the Antolog publishing house, the festival’s organizer.

The three-day program includes meetings with foreign and Macedonian authors, literary readings, talks, podcasts and debates. According to Antolog’s announcement, this year in Skopje will be guests Jaap Robben from the Netherlands, Eloy Moreno from Spain, Liliana Corobca from Moldova and Romania, Martina Vidaić from Croatia, Guzel Yakhina from Kazakhstan and Sasha Bronwasser from the Netherlands, while the program includes more than 30 Macedonian participants.

As laureate of the “Bukstar 2026” award, Lea Ypi had also come to Skopje earlier.

Today’s program starts at 13:00 at the Comedy Theater with Eloy Moreno’s meeting with high-school students — for which, according to organizers, seats are already full. At 18:00 at “Laboratorium” the 12th European Literature Fair “Bukstar” opens and the European literary project “EUREKA” is presented, while half an hour later a discussion on technology and artificial intelligence takes place.

The festival will officially open tonight at 19:30 with a speech by writer Olivera Qorveziroska, and at 20:00 a conversation with Moreno is scheduled on the occasion of the publication of his book “The New Journey of the Little Prince” — for which a sign-language translation has also been announced, Antolog reports.

On Tuesday, September 29, in the Poetry Park near the “Miladinovci Brothers” City Library, the literary reading “What does freedom need?” will be held with the participation of foreign and Macedonian authors, while the evening program at “Laboratorium” includes episodes of the “Antologians” podcast and talks on history, personal memory, loss and remembrance.

The final day, September 30, starts with an event dedicated to Marjane Satrapi at “Europe House Skopje”; at 19:00 at “Laboratorium” a meeting with writer Guzel Yakhina takes place, and the program closes with the debate “Can a bestseller be great literature.” Entry to all festival events is free.