The World Literature Festival
The 13th World Literature Festival, taking place from 31 August to 4 September 2025, will bring the most acclaimed names from the European, Croatian, and regional literary scenes to Zagreb. This year, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb will serve as the Festival’s main venue, hosting the majority of the programme, along with Fraktura’s bookshop. Thanks to its ongoing commitment to innovative cultural initiatives, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb has accepted the invitation from the organiser, Fraktura, a renowned publishing house, to become the Festival’s central venue.
In the afternoons, the Festival will unfold across the three spaces within the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb: the main stage, the foyer, and the sound studio, while the morning programme will be held at Fraktura Bookshop.
This year's Festival will feature guests from Croatia and over fifteen other countries. During five days, more than thirty events will take place, with simultaneous interpretation provided during discussions with some of the greatest Croatian writers, critics, editors, and journalists. The audiences in Zagreb and Croatia will hear directly from the authors about the latest works translated into Croatian.
Programme
Monday, 1 September 2025
11:00 am
Coffee with the book author: Sergej Lebedev — powered by SPAN
12:00
Coffee with the book author: Kapka Kassabova — powered by SPAN
17:00
At the Firsthand: Damir Karakaš and Monika Herceg
17:30
Disclosure: Jurica Pavičić
Moderator: Adriana Piteša
18:00
Disclosure: Lidija Dimkovska
Moderator: Korana Svilar
18:30
Disclosure: Yamen Manai
Moderator: Lucija Tunković
19:00
Disclosure: Sergej Lebedev
Moderator: Ivana Peruško
19:30
Disclosure: Gerbrand Bakker
Moderator: Dino Pešut
20:00
Disclosure: Josip Mlakić
Moderator: Goran Gavranović
21:00
Disclosure: Miljenko Jergović
Moderator: Boris Miljković
Tuesday, 2 September 2025
11:00
Coffee with the book author: Gerbrand Bakker — powered by SPAN
12:00
Coffee with the book author: Sara Gordan — powered by SPAN
17:00
The Literary Destinies of the Classics: Josip Bogner
Speakers: Čedomir Višnjić, Iva Tešić and Đorđe Matić
Moderator: Nenad Rizvanović
17:30
Disclosure: Ivana Sajko
Moderator: Espi Tomičić
18:00
Disclosure: Magdalena Blažević
Moderator: Ena Katarina Haler
18:30
Disclosure: Sara Gordan
Moderator: Marko Gregur
19:00
Disclosure: Karl-Markus Gauß
Moderator: Ivica Đikić
19:30
Double Portrait: Laura Imai Messina and Kristina Gavran
Moderator: Sanja Jovičić
20:00
The Author and Their Reader: Andrej E. Skubic and Anita Peti-Stantić
Moderator: Jagna Pogačnik
21:00
Disclosure: Feđa Štukan
Moderator: Monika Herceg
Wednesday, 3 September 2025
11:00
Coffee with the book author: Karl-Markus Gauß — powered by SPAN
12:00
Coffee with the book author: Fernando Aramburu — powered by SPAN
17:00
Poetry for All: Franjo Nagulov, Sanja Baković, Silba Ljutak and Evelina Rudan
Moderator: Monika Herceg
17:30
Disclosure: Goran Gavranović and Boris Rašeta
Moderator: Hrvoje Klasić
18:00
Disclosure: Almin Kaplan
Moderator: Magdalena Blažević
18:30
The Author and Their Reader: Alina Nelega and Goran Čolakhodžić
Moderator: Luka Ostojić
19:00
Disclosure: Fernando Aramburu
Moderator: Roman Simić
19:30
Disclosure: Zora Del Buono
Moderator: Boris Rašeta
20:00
The Literary Destinies of the Classics: Teofil Pančić
Speakers: Nenad Rizvanović, Miljenko Jergović and Ante Tomić
Moderator: Jovana Gligorijević
21:00
Double Portrait: Sofi Oksanen and Slavenka Drakulić
Moderator: Barbara Matejčić
Thursday, 4 September 2025
11:00
Coffee with the book author: Leïla Slimani — powered by SPAN
12:00
Coffee with the book author: Sofi Oksanen — powered by SPAN
17:00
The Literary Destinies of the Classics: Bob Dylan
Speakers: Viktor Vresnik and Vojo Šindolić
Moderator: Antonija Vrčić
17:30
The Author and Their Reader: Arian Leka and Željka Somun
Moderator: Korana Svilar
18:00
Poetry for All: Ahmed Burić and Nenad Rizvanović
Moderator: Đurđica Čilić
Music and poetry interpretation: Ahmed Burić, Maruška Aras and Žiga Golob
18:30
Disclosure: Alida Bremer
Moderator: Gea Vlahović
19:00
Disclosure: Rumena Bužarovska
Moderator: Luiza Bouharaoua
19:30
Disclosure: Ante Tomić
Moderator: Ilina Cenov
20:00
The Literary Destinies of the Classics: Antonio Machado
Speakers: Tomislav Brlek and Gordana Matić
Moderator: Dinko Telećan
21:00
Disclosure: Leïla Slimani
Moderator: Ivana Bodrožić