Romania will participate 22 January to 3 February, as guest of honour, in the 57th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair, one of the most important publishing events in the world, thus marking 120 years of diplomatic relations with the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Romania's presence is built around a broad and diverse programme that highlights contemporary literature, cultural dialogue, translation, academic research, cultural diplomacy, heritage and education, bringing together authors, researchers, translators, publishers, artists and cultural professionals from Romania and Egypt, as well as diplomats, former diplomats and Romanian academic figures, the Ministry of Culture announced on Tuesday in a press release posted on its Facebook page.
In figures, Romania's participation in the Cairo International Book Fair includes 30 distinct cultural events over 13 days, 60 special guests including authors, publishers, translators, artists and academics, of whom 15 are artists, 10 titles translated into Arabic for the first time and 10 participating Romanian publishing houses.
The official opening of Romania's stand will take place on Thursday, 22 January, in the presence of the invited Romanian authors Tatiana Tibuleac, Ioana Parvulescu, Denisa Comanescu, Matei Visniec, Varujan Vosganian, Bogdan-Alexandru Stanescu, Catalin Pavel and Radu Vancu, alongside representatives of cultural institutions and the fair's audience.
A special opening event of the Cairo International Book Fair will be the session dedicated to the work of Matei Visniec and the first presentation of Arabic translations of his writings, published by Junimea Publishing House in Iasi. Matei Visniec will give a lecture on the universal value of literature as a bridge between cultures.
The event, organised in partnership with the French Institute in Egypt, will also mark the launch of the Romanian Presidency of the Group of Francophone Ambassadors (GAAF) in Cairo.
The literary programme of Romania's participation in the Cairo Book Fair includes debates and round tables dedicated to contemporary Romanian literature, poetry, prose and intercultural dialogue, such as 'Romanian Women Authors: Between Tradition and Contemporaneity,' with Ioana Parvulescu, Denisa Comanescu and Tatiana Tibuleac, 'From Archaeology to Fiction. How Stories Take Shape,' with Matei Visniec, Bogdan-Alexandru Stanescu and Catalin Pavel, and 'Anthologies or Individual Volumes? How Poetry Enters a New Market,' a discussion followed by the launch of a double anthology of contemporary poetry, with Varujan Vosganian, as well as 'Generations, Voices. Perspectives on Contemporary Romanian Poetry," with the participation of Luminita Amarie, Calin Danila, Dan Cristian Iordache, Matei Hutopila, Florin Dan Prodan and Simona Nastac.
A key focus of Romania's first appearance as guest of honour in Cairo is placed on translation and editorial dialogue, through the launch of Romanian volumes translated into Arabic, including works by George Arion, Marin Sorescu, Petre Ispirescu, Ion Creanga and Peter Sragher, as well as through the presentation of trilingual editions in Romanian, French and Arabic published by Junimea Publishing House. At the same time, professional meetings will take place between Romanian and Egyptian publishers, including the event 'Cairo Calling - professional meeting with Romanian publishers,' dedicated to the development of editorial cooperation and literary translation.
The academic and research dimension is supported by events dedicated to Arab studies in Romania, which will mark 75 years in 2026, the history of Arabic printing, cultural diplomacy and international relations, with the participation of renowned Romanian specialists, including Professor George Grigore, Phd., Laura Sitaru, Phd., Bogdan Cojanu, Phd., Ioana Feodorov, Phd., Octavian-Adrian Negoita, Phd., and Polycarp Chitulescu.
The programme also includes the debate 'Comparative Strategic Perspectives and Foreign Policy Priorities: Romania and Egypt at 120 Years,' organised in partnership with the New Strategy Center, as well as the round table 'Beyond Borders: International Cultural Relations and Global Networks,' organised in partnership with the EUNIC cluster in Egypt and the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Young audiences and families are invited to a substantial programme of children's literature, with interactive readings and workshops led by Mihaela Cosescu, Alex Donovici, Cristina Donovici and Cosmin Perta, as well as presentations of the most recent Arabic translations of Romanian children's books, held in the children's area of the fair.
The cultural programme is complemented by the Romanian-Egyptian photo exhibition 'The Unknown Beauty of Romania,' dedicated to Romanian landscapes and traditions with photographs by Mihaela Nastase, as well as performances of traditional Romanian music and dance by the Romanasul ensemble throughout the duration of the fair. A special moment will be the event 'Panait Istrati in Egypt,' presented by the renowned Professor George Grigore, dedicated to the Romanian writer deeply connected to the Mediterranean space.
On 3 February, Romania's participation will conclude with the official ceremony of handing over the baton to the guest of honour country for 2027.
The Ministry of Culture also informs that, in parallel with the Cairo International Book Fair, Romania is present at the International Forum 'Cairo: Interwoven Voices 2' from 19 January to 2 February 2026, a platform for artistic dialogue and literary residency dedicated to cultural diplomacy and international cooperation.
'Romania is participating with a delegation of contemporary Romanian creators: Luminita Amarie, Calin Danila, Dan Cristian Iordache, Matei Hutopila, Florin Dan Prodan and Simona Nastac, alongside guests from China, Malta, France, Italy, Germany, Syria, the Czech Republic and Egypt. A central moment of the forum is the round table dedicated to the future of literary translation between Egypt, Romania and Malta, hosted at the Embassy of Romania in Cairo, which will launch the 15 Interwoven Voices' initiative and will culminate in the signing of the Cairo Declaration for Trilateral Translation,' the ministry points out.
Romania's participation in the Cairo International Book Fair 2026 is organised by the Ministry of Culture of Romania and the Embassy of Romania in the Arab Republic of Egypt, with partners including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, the Romanian Cultural Institute, the National Book Centre and the Centre for Arab Studies at the University of Bucharest.
The Cairo International Book Fair is the most renowned event of its kind in the Arab world and Africa. It is now in its 57th edition. In 2025, the event recorded a record number of visitors of 5.5 million.
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