Pula will open its doors to creative disquiets welcoming the Turkish writer Burhan Sönmez, the great Dacia Maraini, Tamta Melashvili, Hiroko Oyamada, Claudia Durastanti, Narine Abgaryan, Antoni Libera, Dorothy Cross, Sergio Segio, Ivana Šojat, Damir Karakaš, Nataša Govedić, Kruno Lokotar, Ljiljana Filipović, Božo Kovačević, Aleksandar Stanković, Glorija Lujanović, Dinko Telećan, Goran Vojnović, Ratko Rudić, and others. The Fair’s production will premiere Mauricio Ferlin’s exhibition Sajam na oko (1995-2025) (Fair in the Eye) and Boris Miljković’s film Snovi od papira (Dreams of Paper), both dedicated to the thrilling three decades of the Book Fair(y) in Istria.

This year’s Nobel Prize laureate in Literature László Krasznahorkai and emblematic author of the Pula Book Fair(y) in Istria, Boris Dežulović, are the honorary guests of the 31st Book Fair(y) — the Pula Festival of Books and Authors, which will be held from November 28 to December 7. Krasznahorkai will present his book Herscht 07769 and be the first guest of this year’s Breakfast with the Author, while Dežulović arrives with his new novel Tko je taj čovjek? (Who Is That Man?), which delves deeply into the Fair’s central theme — Disquiets.The Fair’s main stage, once again, will be the House of Croatian War Veterans in Pula, which will, as a true temple to literature and a palace of writers, host nearly 100 programs and more than 100 eminent authors from around the world.

This was announced by Magdalena Vodopija, Director of the Book Fair(y) in Istria, at the press conference held on Thursday, October 23, at Mozart Café in the House of Croatian Homeland War Veterans, where she presented the program of the 31st Book Fair(y) in Istria, reaffirming its position as one of the most significant literary manifestations honoring books and authors in this part of Europe.
We are immensely delighted to welcome this year’s Nobel Prize literature laureate, László Krasznahorkai, to the 31st Book Fair(y) in Istria. This exceptionally important event only seemingly casts a shadow over the powerful and rich program of this year’s Fair. Ten distinguished international authors and nearly a hundred domestic ones are coming to Pula. These are truly remarkable writers — some we have long loved and already read, and some we will discover right here at the Fair, said Magdalena Vodopija. She also announced two premieres produced by the Fair among the program highlights — Fair in the Eye, an exhibition by Mauricio Ferlin, and Dreams of Paper, a film by Boris Miljković both exploring the creative disquiets that has shaped the thrilling three decades of the Pula Fair.
Magdalena Vodopija said the following about this year’s theme, Disquiets: Through the works of our authors of the 31st Fair, we will discuss intimate disquiets, the disquiets of the world and cities, artistic disquiets, as well as the disquiets that surrounds us and lies ahead. The central roundtable dedicated to today’s disquiets will feature the prominent philosopher and writer Ljiljana Filipović, the astronomer Korado Korlević, and the art theorist and historian Leonida Kovač. Krleža’s disquiets in his poetry, essays and dramas form another major literary theme this year and will be in focus of presenting The Collected Works of Miroslav Krleža. This so-called roundtable will be moderated by Aljoša Pužar while Helena Sablić-Tomić, Boris Senker, Slaven Jurić, Miroslava Vučić and Ante Žužul will participate as well. The Fair further connects the theme Disquiets with the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism, explored through a roundtable and three books: Bitka na Sutjesci (The battle of Sutjeska) by Šimun Cimerman, Hrvatska u Drugom svjetskom ratu (Croatia in World War II) by Ivo Goldstein, and Osam dana u svibnju (Eight Days in May) by Boris Rašeta and Goran Gavranović.
Foreign guests at the 31st Fair will bear witness to artistic disquiets through their literary premieres. Among them is Hiroko Oyamada, one of the most intriguing contemporary Japanese writers, born in Hiroshima. She will be the first author from Japan ever to visit Croatia, presenting her novel The Factory. Burhan Sönmez, the award-winning Turkish writer whose novels have been translated into more than forty languages and who currently serves as president of PEN International, will also come to Pula. Often called the Turkish Márquez, Sönmez will present his book Stone and Shadow in the White and Black Sea program. A guest of the Power of a Woman program, Georgian writer Tamta Melashvili, will portray the world of Georgian women through her novel Blackbird, Blackbird, Blackberry, which has been adapted into a globally recognized film.
 We are thrilled once again to host the great Dacia Maraini, who last visited the Fair in 2002 and captivated the Pula audience. An intellectual, a legend of Italian literature, the wife of Alberto Moravia and a friend of Pier Paolo Pasolini, Dacia Maraini is coming with her book Dear Pier Paolo, said Vodopija. The Storie italiane program will also feature the young and already acclaimed Italian author, translator, and journalist Claudia Durastanti, who will present her novel Missitalia, known for its distinctive authorial voice. In the Slavic Garden program, led by Ivana Peruško, the Fair will present the award-winning Russian author of Armenian origin Narine Abgaryan with her new novel Simon, and Polish writer, translator, and theatre director Antoni Libera, a distinguished expert on Samuel Beckett, who will present his novel Madame. In the Behind the Curtain program, the guest will be Dorothy Cross, the world-renowned Irish visual artist, who will bring Kinship/Home — both a book and part of her unique artistic project Kinship, exploring migration, home, refuge, crisis, and the process of return.
The symbolism of return is also reflected in the arrival of Sergio Segio in Pula, who comes with his book Miccia Corta (Short Fuse). Born in Pula in 1955, he moved to Italy as a child. In his youth, Segio was a member of the far-left organization Prima Linea, and today he is a human rights activist advocating for prison reform, human rights, and addiction prevention. His return brings the theme of Disquiets closer to Pula itself, touching on the disquiets of Pula’s families who disappeared from the city during times of its own historical disquiets, said Vodopija.
This year's Fair is turning its attention to the authors that are yet to come, and this year it is Gabriela Rukelj Kraškovič, with whom the Debutantes Run the First Round program will be inaugurated, where the debutante of the year, as chosen by the Pula Fair, will be introduced. This author will present her debut in Pula, U kući i u vrtu bilo je mnogo cvijeća (The House and the Garden were full of flowers), a book that bears the epithet a literary celebration.
Another distinctive feature of this year’s program is that many already established authors will be appearing at the Fair for the first time, presenting their new works. Among them are the poet and journalist Glorija Lujanović with her book Škola (The School), and the distinguished writer, theatrician, and critic Nataša Govedić with Div (The Giant).
Božo Kovačević will present himself for the first time at the Fair with his book Russian Themes, while Kruno Lokotar arrives at the Fair in the role of the writer, presenting his excellent diary Limited Edition. Our beloved Fair veterans and audience favorites are also returning with their new works: Ivana Šojat will premiere her new novel Sanjao sam snijeg (I Dreamed of Snow), Goran Vojnović brings Skupljač strahova (The Fear Collector), Marko Pogačar presents Esej o noći (Essay on the Night), Damir Karakaš introduces Sunčanik (The Sundial), Ljiljana Filipović brings her thought-provoking essay collection Život kakav nije jest (The Life That Is Not, Is), and Dragan Markovina presents his book Programirani zaborav: Podijeljeni gradovi i neželjena sjećanja (Programmed Oblivion, Divided Cities and Unwanted Memories). We are certain that the new books by Aleksandar Stanković F32 and Andrej Blatnik Trg oslobođenja (Liberation Square) will attract much attention within the Disquiets program, Vodopija added. In the Writer as Traveler program, Nives Opačić with Po Hrvatskoj skokovito (Across Croatia in Leaps) and Dinko Telećan with Tri daljine (Three Distances) will meet through their deeply contrasting travel narratives. A major star of this year’s Fair will be the legendary athlete and coach Ratko Rudić. His monograph Dogodio se (A story of Ratko Rudić), signed by Dejan Aćimović and Boris Rašeta, will be accompanied by a screening of Aćimović’s award-winning film of the same title, presented in collaboration with Kino Valli, said Vodopija.
The program that takes place outside the fair's literary stages is also rich. On December 2, the Pula City Gallery will open an exhibition of young Istrian painters Perspektive/Perspectives, part of the program Histrokozmos. The curator of the exhibition, the art historian Mladen Lučić - Luc said that the works of Rino Banko, Alex Brajković, Marko Človek, Elena Kiss, Gaja Radić, Marina Rajšić and Nina Turin will be presented. The exhibition features artists of different vocations, poetics and expressive media from sculpture and painting to multimedia, and what they have in common is that each of them strives for new insights into visual expression in their own way, said Mladen Lučić -Luc.
The long-standing collaboration between the Book Fair(y) in Istria and the Archaeological Museum of Istria stands as one of the best examples of institutional and non-institutional partnerships in culture. We have realized numerous top-tier multimedia and exhibition projects together, and this year our collaboration continues with Mauricio Ferlin’s exhibition on 30 years of the Fair, Sajam na oko (1995-2025) ( Fair in the Eye) which opens on November 28 at 9 PM at Sacred Hearts Gallery, said Darko Komšo, Director of the Archaeological Museum of Istria.
"My interest in designing this exhibition is not so much towards history, dates and years, writers, guests, but rather towards various phenomena that we have conceived, tried out and dared to implement at the Fair. The exhibition will thus be a representation of what made the Pula Book Fair(y) different from other literary events, especially in the field of visual communications. I hope that this interweaving of various creative practices and languages will yield some new interpretations, which would show the inner character of the reflection and creation inherent in the Book Fair(y) in Istria", said Mauricio Ferlin, author of the exhibition Fair in the Eye, a designer and long-time collaborator of the Fair whose artistic signature is strongly woven into the visual identity and programmatic meanders of the Fair.
The Fair’s thirty-year story, blending documentary and artistic vision, is also captured in Boris Miljković’s film Snovi od papira (Dreams of Paper), which will premiere on November 29 at 9 PM at the Istrian National Theatre (INK).
The film Dreams of Paper is largely a dedication to Boško Obradović, the founder of the Fair, who also gave Pula many other cultural events that the younger generations will discover through the film. On the other hand, older generations will recognize themselves in the film, among the audience, while leafing through books, on stage or working behind the scenes. And recognition starts already on the poster that was wonderfully prepared by designer Matko Plovanić. The Fair, as director Boris Miljković says, alongside film and rock’n’roll, defines and establishes Pula - in words as well. For this reason, our audience will be addressed as readers, before whom the film opens like a book, said Iris Mošnja, executive producer of the Fair and collaborator on the film.
An important part of the 31st Fair is the third Histrokosmos, which highlights Istrian authors who have made strong and unique creative contributions. This year’s guests come from Šibenik and the Šibenik-Knin County. Works from the legacies of Goran Filipi and Tonči Pavlinović will be presented, and this year’s Sakramenske honorees include Milena Mičić, Ivona Orlić, Nada Galant, Loredana Bogliun, Ana Hofman, Edna Strenja, and members of the Praksa Choir. Authors Dejan Pavlinović and Noel Šuran will also present their new books. The Fair will celebrate 20 years of lexicography in Istria, with the academic Robert Matijašić as the guest of Breakfast with the Author. Guests from Šibenik will present Droplets of Stone: A Lexicon of the Beauty of the Šibenik-Knin County a photography exhibition by Igor Tomljenović in Cvajner Gallery, Milivoj Zenić’s book Stari Šibenik: kalama, skalama i butama  (Old Šibenik: Through the Lanes, Stairs, and Courtyards), and will showcase their vibrant cultural scene through Fortresses of Culture, Collective 4B, and the festivals Fališ and Škure.

The sponsors of the 31st Istrian Book Fair are the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the City of Pula and the Istrian County. Long-time sponsors include Zagrebačka banka d.d. and Arena Hospitality Group, while this year, small entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs  from Pula and Istria have joined as generous supporters of the Fair.