Italy at the Prague International Book Fair

From 15 to 18 May 2025, Italy will be present at the Prague International Book Fair with its own stand and three special guests: Valerio la Martire, Carlo Vecce and Nicoletta Verna

Now in its 30th edition, the Prague International Book Fair is the most important publishing event in the Czech Republic and attracts a diverse and ever-growing audience from all over the country every year. In addition to its role as a literary festival, thanks to a rich programme of presentations and meetings with leading Czech and foreign writers, it is increasingly establishing itself as the venue for the Central and Eastern European Book Market, a point of reference for the entire central-eastern region and, for professionals, a place for discussion and debate, where excellent business deals can be concluded. Despite the frequent overlap between the Prague Book Fair and the Turin Book Fair, the number of Italian literary agencies participating in this event continues to grow.

Once again this year, the Italian Cultural Institute in Prague (IIC) is participating in the Book Fair with its own stand and three special guests. On Thursday 15 May at 6 p.m., in the Karel Čapek Hall, Valerio la Martire will present his novel Stranizza (Rizzoli), published in Czech by the Meridione publishing house, in conversation with translator Monika Štefková and the director of the IIC, Marialuisa Pappalardo. Meridione, founded in 2024 by three excellent translators from Italian, including the award-winning Alice Flemrová, is the only Czech publishing house to offer a catalogue entirely devoted to Italian literature, guaranteeing not only an excellent level of translation (authors include G. M. Griffi, A. De Céspedes, M. Jarre, P. Mastrocola, C. Cassar Scalia), but also meticulous attention to the graphic design of the published works. On Saturday 17 May, at 5 p.m., also in the Karel Čapek Room, Carlo Vecce will present Il sorriso di Caterina. La madre di Leonardo (Giunti Editore), published in Czech by Argo, translated by Pavla Přívozníková. Argo is one of the most prestigious and widely distributed Czech publishing houses, with an excellent editorial team and experienced translators, and has already shown a keen interest in our recent and less recent literature (among the authors published: E. Morante, D. Di Pietrantonio, D. Enia, M. Melchiorre). As a special event, the Prague Book Fair will host the award ceremony for the European Union Prize for Literature on Friday 16 May at 6 p.m. Since 2029, this prize has honoured the best emerging European authors and promoted the circulation and translation of literary works from countries participating in the Creative Europe programme. Nicoletta Verna, selected as a finalist with I giorni di vetro (Giulio Einaudi publisher), will be present.