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Belgrade International Book Fair 2026

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2026-10-24 18:46 UTC → 2026-10-26 11:37 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The 69th Belgrade International Book Fair, held under the slogan ‘Words Build the World’, commenced on October 23, 2026, and is scheduled to run through October 31. Tunisia is the guest of honor, a designation marking 70 years of diplomatic relations between Tunisia and Serbia. The event features approximately 300 direct exhibitors and nearly 700 total participants. Participating nations include Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska), Montenegro, Greece, Georgia, Croatia, Italy, Iran, Morocco, Germany, Romania, Russia, and Slovakia. Republika Srpska ~~participates for the 16th time~~ has officially opened its presentation under the slogan ‘To Exist. To Carry Identity’, commemorating the 65th anniversary of Ivo Andrić’s Nobel Prize. Their exhibition, hosted in Hall 2 and within the ‘Borislav Pekić’ and ‘Ivo Andrić’ halls, includes 38 scheduled events. Key contributors include the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Republika Srpska, which is presenting the seventh volume of the Encyclopedia of Republika Srpska, and the University of Banja Luka, marking its 50th anniversary. Despite the scale of the event, the fair faces criticism as several major Serbian publishing houses are boycotting the event. Representatives from the Association of Professional Publishers in Serbia, including Zoran Hamović, cited ‘unacceptable participation conditions’ and a lack of influence in decision-making processes as reasons for their absence. Critics have described the absence of these leading publishers as a ‘crisis of trust’ that leaves the fair without many of the most significant recent Serbian-language publications, with some even describing the current state of the fair as a ‘mirage’. These publishers have opted to organize alternative showcases or sales in their own bookstores instead. Other scheduled activities include a ‘School Day’ on October 29 and the official handover of the ‘Open Book’ to the guest of honor for the 70th anniversary, the United Arab Emirates. Cultural programming includes the Italian Cultural Institute and Digital Art Week Belgrade, which explores the intersection of contemporary art and artificial intelligence.

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