Sofia International Literary Festival

In these seven editions since its inception, the festival has become the largest and most prestigious literary event and by 2020 it has hosted over 350 poets and writers from more than 37 countries, including:
Salman Rushdie, Adam Zagajewski, Dubravka Ugrešić, Josip Osti, Kim Stanley Robinson, Etgar Keret, Kim Thuy, Jean-Marc Turinе, Robert Menasse, Christoph Hein, Ilya Troyanov, François-Henri Deserable, José Carlos Somoza, Jordi Galceran, Marcos Giralt Torrente, Ulf Stark, Johanna Sinisalo, Sjón, Mihailo Pantić, Ales Debelják, Sofi Oksanen and many others. The guiding intention at that time was, above all, for Bulgarian literature to be present in equal conversation with world literature. The festival also included the participation of literary theorists, critics, translators, artists and illustrators. A special identity was created each year and incorporated as an integral part of the design scene. In addition to a compulsory exhibition, there was always a specially created bookstore on the festival stage, featuring all the titles in Bulgarian by the authors who participated in the festival each year. Literature was intertwined with music, cinema, theatre and design.

The programme was built upon and curated thematically throughout all seven editions, and the literature spoke different languages. The festival was awarded prizes for both its staging and its publicity campaigns.

The Foundation’s team incorporated various formats such as “Secret Poetry Reading”, ” Speed Literary Dates”, “Conversations for the Future”, “SILF Presents”, “Poetry and Music”, “Debuts”, etc.