Bookiranje literature festival in Podgorica

The fourth edition of the contemporary literature festival, ‘Bookiranje’, took place on September 12 and 13 at the Book Caffeu in Podgorica. Organized by the publishing house Fokalizator and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Media and the Secretariat for Culture of the Capital City of Podgorica, the event featured approximately forty participants across literary programs, musical performances, and social discussion panels.

During the festival, regional author Svetislav Basara presented his new novel, ‘Đinđić: memoari s onu stranu groba’, in a discussion with writer Andrej Nikolaidis. The session explored Balkan social and political realities, with the novel examining the life of Zoran Đinđić while challenging nationalist perspectives and official historical narratives. Nikolaidis characterized Basara as a “major figure in South Slavic literature.”

The festival also hosted the promotion of the late Montenegrin poet Marko Vešović’s poetry collection, ‘Poljska konjica’, published by Fokalizator. Participants, including Professor Vladimir Vojinović and journalist Šeki Radončić, discussed Vešović’s linguistic mastery and his complex relationship with Montenegro and Sarajevo, noting his “uncompromising nature” and regional legacy.

Other scheduled programming included the opening ceremony moderated by actress Julija Milačić Petrović Njegoš with a performance by the rock band Prizma, and the promotion of works such as Afan Latić’s story collection ‘Autograf’, Krsto Giljen’s expanded poetry collection ‘Džimi do you love me?’, and Jonila Godole’s novel ‘Uputstvo za rušenje’, which explores the collapse of totalitarian systems in Albania. A panel titled ‘Revisionism and EU Values’ featured regional historians discussing the misuse of history for political purposes, distinguishing between legitimate scientific inquiry and politically motivated revisionism.