Report from TBF’s third day, Saturday, May 9
On the third day of the 22nd Thessaloniki International Book Fair, visitor attendance was particularly high. Hundreds of citizens toured the exhibition booths, met authors, translators, illustrators, and publishers, and attended the rich programme of events, actions, discussions, and book presentations.
Topics such as artificial intelligence, the relationship of books with the modern digital age, freedom of expression, translation as a bridge between cultures, the role of libraries and publishers, reading culture, collectivity, the professional rights of authors, as well as the public role of literature were central to the discussions and events. Authors, translators, publishers, academics, and people from the book industry highlighted new challenges as well as the timeless power of literary expression. The presence of many children was also distinct, as they visited the fair with their parents and participated in a multitude of events and activities for young readers. Children played, they were guided through the fairgrounds, and discovered the world of books. At the same time, there was a strong presence of teenagers and students, who attended discussions and presentations surrounding contemporary and young adult literature.
The event “Why children’s books are a serious matter” began within the professional programme with particular interest and great participation. Panos Christodoulou, director of the Network for Children’s Rights, stated that children’s books are related to all children’s rights and are true literature. The reading of a book for children must be treated as an experience and not as a lesson, and we need to trust children’s choices in books. “Children are people, not future people”, emphasized Ms. Vasiliki Nika, member of the Laboratory Teaching Staff of the Primary Education Department at NKUA and translator, reminding us of the role of literature in the humanistic character of the school. “We do not need thousands of books produced merely for consumption; the right books are needed that will remind the child not of what they learned, but of what they lived”. Psychiatrist Grigoris Abatzoglou distinguished mental health from mental hygiene, saying: “We should not make children read like they brush their teeth, but teach them to read like they do not brush their teeth”.
In a moving large-scale event titled “Bookstores in the province: cultural spaces”, the characteristics and challenges of independent bookstores in regional Greece were highlighted. It was emphasized that what remains constant is the people’s need for books and that the future of bookstores in Greece lies in a hybrid model. It was observed that the physical bookstore gives you what you didn’t know you wanted, whereas the internet offers you what you have already chosen or what the algorithm suggests. Small bookstores make books accessible. Supporting books is a political choice and an act of activism, it was said. The State needs to support small bookstores. The event also featured the presentation of “Little Bookstores Week”, an action based on cultural decentralization with the aim of supporting small neighbourhood bookstores. This year, in this week which begins in a few days, approximately 140 bookstores will participate.
At an event for reading clubs focused on Greek or translated literature, held at MOMus, their importance for promoting reading culture was emphasized, and translation issues were discussed. A good translator should make you forget that the work is translated. They need to lower their ego to highlight the author’s original work and act as their spokesperson, said Alexandra Ioannidou, translator and professor of Slavic Literature at the University of Macedonia. As Nikos Bakounakis, president of HFBC, noted, translation flows between languages are becoming increasingly vertical rather than horizontal, and all countries are developing funding tools to support translations into languages beyond the dominant English. The large number of books relative to the reading public was also highlighted, while reference was made to Kafka’s famous phrase: “Literature must be the axe that breaks the frozen sea within us”.
In the event of the Guest of Honour Bulgaria, titled “Between Two Languages”, authors Leonie Hodkevitch and Christos Chartomatsidis spoke about the shared experience of writing and reading in both countries. “There are studies on what makes us laugh. Generally, different peoples laugh at the same things: stupidity, the absurd, bureaucracy. We saw this the other day in an event regarding Bulgarian plays staged at the National Theatre of Northern Greece”, said Mr. Chartomatsidis, who also referred to the classical education he received at his school in Bulgaria. “It is important to let the reader understand the joke in the solitude of their moment”, said Ms. Hodkevitch, who pointed out that writing cannot be studied. “It is a voice that tells you that you are a writer. But it can also be a madness. It is a doubt that you must overcome daily, through crying and laughing”.
In another event of the Guest of Honour concerning the cinematic adaptation of books, the different languages of screenplay and book were discussed, as well as the relationship between screenwriter and director. We authors are very attached to the stories in our books, but we must understand that the film is an entirely different work, even though it is based on our story. The film belongs to the director, regardless of how many observations we may have, it was stated.
At the OSDEL event regarding human creation and artificial intelligence, the potential impacts on literary works were listed: more mass and faster writing, a radical change in translation, a possible strengthening of small publishers, a homogenization of writing that results in a “frustrating sameness”, huge legal and ethical issues, mainly regarding rights, the creation of hybrid works between humans and machines that will ultimately change the concept of the author, and paradoxically, a possible upgrade of human writing as a unique value. From an academic perspective, concern was expressed about student papers that appear technically excellent but are linguistically standardised and lack imagination. Imagination, however, is what leads to new creations, not knowledge, it was specifically stressed.
Concern was also expressed about large language models that cite works without sources or names, as well as the evolution of translation. “It is up to the publisher whether they choose speed and economy by resorting to AI translation with simple editing.
However, the translator has rights to the work, while the editor does not, by law”, it was emphasized. It was also noted that language models were initially trained on great literary works, but are now trained on AI texts, so quality will constantly decrease. Reference was also made to research, such as from the Max Planck Institute, on the effects of AI on spoken language, which shows the difficulty of younger generations in understanding even simple instructions.
In the Dialogos Presentation Hall of the professional programme, a discussion on the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) took place, coordinated by Anne Bergman-Tahon, director of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP). Makis Malafekas, who was on the 2025 shortlist with his book Deepfake (Antipodes Publications), participated from Greece. The author referred to his “Pulp” writing style which is associated with times of crisis, such as the 1929 Crash in the USA – when it no longer made sense to explain how and what happened. He spoke of a “sophisticated fascism” that is in the light, not the shadows, and feeds on mainstream media and groups rather than extremists. The discussion expanded to the value of the prize for the visibility of works and their translation into more languages, so that books can travel, bridges can be built, and opportunities can exist to get to know the contemporary literature of various peoples, especially in times of migration and brain drain. This year’s EUPL prize will be announced on May 29, 2026.
Representatives of three organizations from the European network EURead for the promotion of reading presented programmes and best practices for reading culture in their countries. Ava Chalkiadaki (Greece) presented the work of the association “Diavazontas Megalono” (By Reading I Grow), which strives to encourage good reading practices for all ages, starting from infancy (ages 0-2) where the first foundations are laid. Valentina Stoeva (Reading Foundation, Bulgaria) presented training programmes for educators on reading illustrated books to toddlers with an emphasis on their active participation, the Magic Pearl award where children vote for recent children’s books, the 4,000 municipal libraries, the 160 reading clubs with 70,000 child and adolescent members, and the “Book Walker” action, which turns reading into a “challenge” where each page represents a meter of distance covered by the child. Lovisa Fhager Logothetis (Bonnier Family Foundation, Sweden) pointed out that they shifted reading sessions from rest hours to morning reading, as they saw this had more beneficial consequences for vulnerable children and worked more inclusively for children with different backgrounds and language skills. Impression was made by “Reading is key” programme for children aged 6-9 in summer creative centres, where teenagers read to children, with great results for both children and teens, as well as the “Great Reading Challenge”, a reading competition for 10-year-olds.
During the presentation of the book “The Princess of the Moon” by Virgjil Muçi (Eurasia editions), the discussion highlighted the importance of contemporary Albanian literature and the collaboration between Greek and Albanian creators. Translator Eleana Ziakou described the work as a book that moves between a fairy tale and a short novel, with philosophical implications for both young and old readers. The author, for his part, explained that the heroes do not have a specific national identity, so that every reader can identify with them. Through the astronaut and the “Princess of the Moon”, the book touches on issues such as human coexistence, climate change, and artificial intelligence.
On the same axis of the relationship between literature and the digital age was the presentation of the trilogy of the award-winning youth thriller “Erebos” by Ursula Poznanski (Patakis Publishers). The author, following an invitation from the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki, spoke with Dimitra Kyranoudi, journalist and director of the Greek editorial department of Deutsche Welle, about the thin line between the digital and the real world. Special reference was made to social media, algorithms, and artificial intelligence, with “Erebos”, first released in 2010, being presented as a particularly prophetic work regarding the way technology now affects daily life and human relationships.
The international dimension of literature was also highlighted through the presentation of the book “White Nights” by Polish author Urszula Honek (Vakxikon Publications), a 2024 Booker nominee. The author spoke about the atmosphere of the book, which was born from her memories of an isolated mountain village, from stories of spirits and ghosts, as well as from the difficult lives of women in the province. The Ambassador of Poland to Greece, Wojciech Ponikiewski, emphasized that literature can bring people closer, noting that Polish literature remains relatively unknown to the Greek public, despite having much to offer.
Similar concerns regarding place and literary identity were raised by the discussion “Locality, Cosmopolitanism, and Literary Identity”, organized by the Chania Book Festival. Janna Boukova, Theodoros Grigoriadis, Danae Sioziou, and Michalis Albatis, in a conversation with Manolis Piblis, spoke about the way in which origin, movements, and life experiences influence literary writing. As was pointed out, a work does not acquire international value because of the place where it is set, but through the power and quality of the creator’s writing. The author from the Guest of Honour country, Janna Boukova, spoke about her relationship with language and the concept of world literature, noting that she feels she belongs “to world literature”, even though, as she said, “the country I happened to be born in and the garden I chose are Bulgarian”. She also referred to her relocation to Greece, after which she considered it perfectly natural to begin writing in Greek as well. “The collaboration of languages was very liberating”, she noted, adding that the fact she does not perfectly control the Greek language proved creative and liberating.
Michalis Albatis spoke about his childhood in Zaros and his need to distance himself from the local culture. As he said, the only Greek author he had read as a child was Nikos Kazantzakis, while his contact with literature came mainly from foreign books. “I wanted to oppose the intense patriotism and the suffocating morality”, he mentioned, explaining that literature was the only way to “connect with the world”. He made special reference to the village library, which had been created by a donation from a doctor and included mainly foreign literature.
Danae Sioziou spoke about her own experience between Germany and Greece, describing how as a child she perceived Greece as “paradise”, since she spent her holidays here. She recalled a school exercise during the period of large-scale Albanian migration, when children were asked to describe what “paradise” meant to them. “A child from Albania and I both answered ‘Greece’”, she mentioned.
A special moment of the day was the presentation of Dionysis Savvopoulos‘s autobiographical book titled “Why the Years Fly by in Bulk” (Patakis Publishers), which was hosted in the large hall of Pavilion 13, which bears the name of the great Thessaloniki troubadour. At the event, before a large audience, Evangelos Venizelos, Nicolas Sevastakis, Socratis Sinopoulos, and Christos Chomenidis spoke, while present were his wife, Aspa, his grandson Dionysis, his old collaborator, the visual artist Alexis Kyritsopoulos, friends from the “excursionists of the ‘60s”, and authors.
The public role of literature and intellectual work was at the center of the discussion “What is a collective? Vision, thoughts, and goals of the Authors’ Network”. The members of the newly formed association Authors’ Network referred to their vision, the working groups they have created, and the need to create an open space for cooperation with actions, events, and partnerships with schools, libraries, and social bodies. Particular emphasis was placed on visibility and the defense of intellectual labor, with speakers stressing that writing should not be treated as something self-evident or unpaid. As a newly established entity, their participation in the 22nd International Book Fair was their first action outside of their headquarters in Athens.
The role of libraries as vibrant cultural spaces was the focus of the event for the “I Read” campaign, which started from Nefeli Publishing on the s22.gr platform with 500 titles in January 2026 and is enriched and evolves daily into a useful tool for enriching lending libraries. This is an effort by publishers to make high-quality books available at particularly low prices, so that the value of the book, publishing work, and intellectual property rights are simultaneously recognized. The speakers highlighted the importance of cooperation between publishers, libraries, municipalities, and local communities, pointing out that libraries are not mere recipients of donations, but living cultural spaces that can support reading culture, reach new readers, and function as knowledge hubs, especially today, in an era of artificial intelligence and digital tools.
The packed discussion “Can we separate the work from its author?”, organized by the National Library of Greece, provoked intense reflection. The old question of the relationship between the ethics of the work and the ethics of the author acquires new intensity and often polemical characteristics today, in an era where public discussion around cancel culture and the limits of freedom of expression remains particularly intense.
Lina Papadopoulou, Professor of Constitutional Law at the Law School of AUTh, argued that the greater the temporal distance separating a creator from their era, the more the work can be disconnected from their personal life and be judged autonomously, based on its aesthetic and timeless value. At the same time, she mentioned the danger of personal criticism against a creator turning into censorship or the banning of their work. Thanos Samartzis, translator and publisher, approached the subject through a philosophical and historical path, referring to the concept of cancel culture and the long tradition of ad hominem attacks. Through examples from philosophy, rhetoric, and the history of ideas, he examined the extent to which we can ultimately separate the creator from their creation. The discussion was moderated by Stavros Zoumboulakis, author and president of the Board of Trustees of the National Library of Greece, who from the beginning showed the timeless nature of the reflection regarding the relationship between the work and its creator, as well as the new weight the issue acquires in the contemporary public sphere.
The professor of Modern Greek Studies at the University of Bucharest, Tudor Dinu (Akritas Publications), came to Thessaloniki as a guest of the Romanian Ministry of Culture. His book is considered innovative in many respects, as it records in detail the network of dependencies and monasteries. Specifically, there were about 220 dependencies, of which 130 were in Wallachia and 90 in Moldavia, covering almost the entire extent of the principalities. In all these dependencies, there were Greek monks, with the result that the monasteries evolved into important cradles of the Greek language and vehicles for the spread of Greek culture. At the same time, many of them developed intense cultural activity and evolved into powerful economic factors of the era. The Romanians, as he pointed out, played a very important role in this process, a fact that led him to study the phenomenon through the research of 60,000 documents.
Leif Randt was a guest of the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki with his novel Allegro Pastell (Eklistis Publications), which is considered one of the most characteristic Millennial love stories in a highly minimalist format. The author refers to a generation seeking intense experiences while living with the consciousness that the world around them is in a state of constant crisis. As he notes, from the 1990s onward, techno party culture and substance use became linked to a cultural practice concerning the intensity of the moment, music, and the need for lived experience. Mobile phones also play a central role in the book, not as a means of isolation but as a tool for emotional communication. The protagonists share moments and feelings from a distance, with technology ultimately functioning as an element that brings them closer. The two main characters belong to a generation that grew up before the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the political shifts of recent years, when the sense that the planet must be saved prevailed. Nevertheless, they carry deep within them the idea of an inevitable catastrophe, while simultaneously trying to remain positive and optimistic in their lives. The author describes the characters as deeply romantic but also emotionally immature.
Memory, trauma, and the wounds left by authoritarian regimes were at the center of the presentation for the book The Devastated by Theodora Dimova (Enastron Publications), in the presence of the book’s Greek translator, Blagorodna Philevska-Panagou. The author mentioned that she chose to narrate the story through three women who find themselves in the same cell and have been victims of the regime’s cruelty. As she said, it was only through this literary approach that she could handle the subject: “It was the only way to save myself and not write like a historian, but like a novelist”. She noted that although she did not base it on a specific real incident, the stories and characters were born out of collective memory and the atmosphere of the era. “I conceived all the stories myself”, she stated, adding, however, that many readers told her that events in the book “happened exactly the same way in their own families”. Referring to Bulgaria and other former socialist countries, Dimova argued that the consequences of these regimes and civil divisions remain deeply etched in societies. “What happened in Bulgaria has happened in all former socialist countries”, she noted, adding that she recognizes that the civil war in Greece also left deep wounds. “These wounds cannot be healed for many generations”, she stated.
Photos from the Saturday May 9 events are available HERE.
The 22nd TBF programme is available on https://thessalonikibookfair.gr/programme/. Explore the sections and discover the events you wish to attend! Information and details about the event and all Press Releases can be found on the bilingual website https://www.thessalonikibookfair.gr/, which, as the social media managed by HFBC, is constantly updated and enriched.
The Thessaloniki International Book Fair (TBF) is organized by the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture (HFBC) in collaboration with TIF–HELEXPO, Greek publishers, and the Municipality of Thessaloniki, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Region of Central Macedonia. It is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, within the framework of the ROP Central Macedonia 2021-2027. TBF is a member of the International Book Fairs Forum and the European Book Fairs Network ALDUS UP.
