Literary Talks

This atypical format was conceived not as a festival but as a series of events, but the festival character prevailed in the very first year, when it was launched with the Polish writer and Nobel Prize winner in Literature Olga Tokarchuk, the Bulgarian writer and poet Georgi Gospodinov and many other Bulgarian writers, poets, theatre artists, painters, illustrators and academics.

Each edition of Literary Talks has a theme – a current, sufficiently significant or distinctive literary perspective. The absolute focus of the talks is literature, but also its relationship to the other arts and sciences. Literary Talks creates an environment in which literary works, themes and trends are discussed and commented on in a serious, professional, thoughtful, committed and engaging way.

An important part of the event is the intention to present Bulgarian literature as an equal part of the world literary processes.

Until 2024, Literary Talks has featured a variety of themes focusing on literary journalism, choices, war and peace, non-fiction, the works of Italo Calvino, literature and sport, growing up and walls. They have included a wide variety of events in addition to the more traditional conversations with writers. They have been the occasion for the production of several exceptional theatrical performances. They have been a seven-hour collage of literary events. One event was defined entirely by the choice of the authors who participated in it. The Talks have included discussions, literary quiz, installations, exhibitions, quick literary (and more) meetings, a concert, a literary orienteering and even tennis matches, boxing and chess demonstrations.

Starting in 2025, Literary Talks is held only once a year. The theme of Literary Talks 2025 was ‘Archaeology of Memory’. It took place in three different venues and included conversations with the special guests Maria Stepanova, Russia, Shehan Karunathilaka, Sri Lanka, and Yu Hua, China, as well as discussions with various Bulgarian writers, philosophers, journalists, critics and scholars, a multimedia installation, a concert, a poetry reading in motion and more exciting formats.

‘Dystopia and Resistance’ was the theme of the tenth edition of the Literary Talks Sofia Festival. Special guests were the Irish writer Paul Lynch, winner of the 2023 Booker Prize, and one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Japanese literature — Sayaka Murata. Discussing dystopias in a literary context inevitably leads to conversations in a much more complex interdisciplinary field, where numerous struggles and visions of possible worlds intersect. Using the literary worlds as a lens, the individual events in the festival program brought to the table a variety of topics such as social and economic justice, new forms of dictatorship, feminism, climate change, artificial intelligence, and other technological shifts.

Nearly 40 writers, poets, humanities scholars, researchers, actors, and literary managers took part in the ten public events in the jubilee edition, including discussions and readings with Bulgarian authors, a new look at long-published books, a bookstore, a workshop for young people, a performance, and a professional international program involving cultural managers and festival directors from various European countries.