32nd Book Fair(y) in Istria 2026 in Pula

Updated October 24, 2026.

Dom hrvatskih branitelja - Friday, 27.11. - Sunday, 06.12.2026.

The 32nd Book Fair(y) in Istria runs in Pula from 27 November to 6 December. “La vita è bella” connects the author events and wider arts programme.

Books and author events at the House of Croatian Defenders

Organisers expect more than a hundred writers and artists from Croatia and abroad. At the House of Croatian Defenders, publishers present books while talks and round tables let readers hear from the people who wrote them. The programme also extends to exhibitions, film and live performance. The fair will also feature a presentation of “Safari u Sarajevu”, a novel by writer Andrej Nikolaidis, published by Hena.com.

The fair opens daily from 9 am to 9 pm. You can browse the publishers’ stands during these hours, while individual events have their own starting times.

Histrokozmos: Istrian books, comics and wine

In the Histrokozmos programme, historian Darko Dukovski will present “Smrt u Puli”, his book about the city between 1945 and 1947. Other announced titles include food writer Franko Lukež’s “Pulske oštarije / Osterie di Pola” and Ivona Orlić’s “Franci Blašković: konstrukcija suvremenoga istarskog identiteta”.

The fair will host the presentation of the first Croatian edition of Guido Crepax’s comic “Anthropology”, in which his character Valentina explores Premantura, Cape Kamenjak and Pula. The presentation is part of “La vita è bella”, where television presenter and cookbook author Lidia Matticchio Bastianich will also discuss her autobiography “Moj američki san”.

At “Saga o vinu”, you can taste wines while joining conversations with winemakers and people who study Istria. Six Istrian wineries are taking part, including Medea. At the “Alternativne oaze Istre” stand, authors and collectives will display fanzines and small-run vinyl releases.

Ljubljana bere: storytelling, a debut novel and a discussion about life

The organisers mark the tenth anniversary of Ljubljana bere with events featuring Slovenian writers and artists. In the new “Pričamo priče” storytelling programme, writer Agata Tomažič, writer and photographer Dušan Šarotar, and writer, screenwriter and director Goran Vojnović will tell stories devised around this year’s theme.

Writer Pia Prezelj will present her debut novel “Teška voda”, published by Hena.com, in the “Debitanti/ce trče prvi krug” programme for debut authors. The novel explores motherhood, unfulfilled desires and guilt, offering a chance to hear from an author whose work addresses the more difficult side of “La vita è bella”.

Anthropologist and philosopher Svetlana Slapšak, philosopher Predrag Finci, and essayist and commentator Zdravko Zima will discuss life’s highs and lows at a round table. Cultural theorist Mitja Velikonja is also among the Ljubljana bere guests.

Gallery Night: two exhibitions in Pula

Samira Kentrić will present “Pratim trendove” at Pula City Gallery. Alongside digital drawings and book covers she has created over the past twenty years, she will show original watercolours from her graphic novel “Balkanalije”. In it, she depicts growing up during a period of social change from a child’s perspective.

Gallery Night continues at Galerija Makina with “Zvjezdana karta”, an exhibition by writer and photographer Dušan Šarotar. He created the photographs alongside the novel of the same name, which concluded his trilogy about the fate of the Jews of Prekmurje. These works also explore his own family history. Both galleries are outside the House of Croatian Defenders.

First weekend programme, 27 to 29 November

The opening takes place on Friday, 27 November 2026 at noon, with writers Kader Abdolah and Nada Gašić. This schedule covers the fair’s first three days. Café Mozart, the Red Salon and the Blue Salon are inside the House of Croatian Defenders. Literary events in the Red Salon use the main stage, while children’s stories take place in the Blue Salon.

Friday, 27 November

• 12:00, House of Croatian Defenders: Opening of the fair.
• 17:00, Red Salon: Histrokozmos winemakers’ stand: presentation of Diković winery’s Post Scriptum wine in Saga o vinu.
• 18:00, Red Salon: Presentation of Ivona Orlić’s book about Franci Blašković.
• 19:00, Red Salon: Nada Gašić, “Kutijica od školjki”.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić, performed by Gordana Trajković.
• 20:00, Red Salon: Kader Abdolah, “Prije nego što bude kasno”, with Emir Imamović Pirke.

Saturday, 28 November

• 11:00, Café Mozart: Breakfast with author Kader Abdolah, hosted by Aljoša Pužar.
• 12:30, Red Salon: “La vita è bella” round table with Svetlana Slapšak, Predrag Finci, Zdravko Zima and Aljoša Pužar.
• 18:00, Red Salon: Darko Dukovski, “Smrt u Puli”.
• 19:00, Red Salon: Writer Nancy Huston presents her novel “Francia”.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić.
• 20:00, Red Salon: Presentation of Guido Crepax’s comic “Anthropology”, with Caterina Crepax, Paola Damiano and Andrea Matošević.
• 21:15, Pula City Gallery and Galerija Makina: Gallery Night, featuring exhibitions by Samira Kentrić and Dušan Šarotar.

Sunday, 29 November

• 11:00, Café Mozart: Breakfast with author Nancy Huston, hosted by Aljoša Pužar.
• 12:30, Café Mozart: Presentation of Franko Lukež’s book “Pulske oštarije / Osterie di Pola”.
• 18:00, Red Salon: Predrag Finci, “Putovanja duše”.
• 19:00, Red Salon: Zdravko Zima, “Ljepota je tako teška”.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić.
• 20:00, Red Salon: Kim de l’Horizon presents “Knjiga krvi”.

Programme from 30 November to 6 December

After the first weekend, you can choose from morning conversations with authors, film screenings and evening book presentations. These are the times for the remaining seven days of the fair. The library conference and Groovoteka birthday party take place outside the Dom hrvatskih branitelja, at Pula City Library and Reading Room and Galerija Cvajner respectively.

Monday, 30 November

• 09:00, Pula City Library and Reading Room: Professional conference on attracting and retaining library users: “Privući i zadržati: što (ne) radimo dobro u promidžbi knjižničnih usluga?”
• 10:00, Red Salon, main stage: Veljko Popović presents “Žarko, razmazit ćeš dite!”, the animated film he made with Milivoj Popović, in the Hop lektira programme.
• 11:00, Kavana Mozart: Breakfast with author Kim de l’Horizon.
• 11:00, Red Salon, main stage: Boris Rašeta discusses Ranko Marinković’s “Kiklop” in the “Književnost se gleda” programme.
• 17:00, Red Salon, Histrokozmos wine stand: Medea presents its Punta Greca Merlot in the Saga o vinu wine programme.
• 18:00, Red Salon, main stage: Lara Černicki and Stašo Forenbaher present “Istra pješice i biciklom”.
• 19:00, Red Salon, main stage: Gian Marco Griffi presents his novel “Meksičke željeznice”.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić.
• 20:00, Red Salon, main stage: Dušan Šarotar, Goran Vojnović and Agata Tomažič join Emir Imamović Pirke for “Pričamo priče”.
• 21:00, Galerija Cvajner: Groovoteka birthday party with DJs Jinxie Grooves and Fanković.

Tuesday, 1 December

• 10:00, Red Salon, main stage: Noemi Ribić presents her animated film “Odrasti u malo drvo” in Hop lektira.
• 11:00, Kavana Mozart: Breakfast with author Mitja Velikonja.
• 11:00, Red Salon, main stage: Ana Brnardić discusses Anthony Burgess’s “Paklena naranča” in “Književnost se gleda”.
• 12:30, Kavana Mozart: Teodora Fonović Cvijanović and Vanessa Vitković Marčeta present “Od Naše sloge do Glasa Istre”.
• 17:00, Red Salon, Alternativne oaze Istre stand: Istarska fanzinoteka brings together the collectives Prostor urbane kulture, Fobija, Mora, Ko_laboracija, Remont, Forma, Urban Sketchers and Sfera Collective.
• 18:00, Red Salon, main stage: Pia Prezelj presents her novel “Teška voda”.
• 19:00, Red Salon, main stage: Sinan Gudžević presents “Sarajevosti”.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić.
• 20:00, Red Salon, main stage: Goran Marković and Rajko Grlić, who joins by video, present their joint book “Jesi li snimio ovo?”. The session also covers Marković’s “Hamlet u paviljonu br. 6”.

Wednesday, 2 December

• 10:00, Red Salon, main stage: Petra Zlonoga presents her experimental film “Dota” in Hop lektira.
• 11:00, Café Mozart: Breakfast with author Goran Marković.
• 11:00, Red Salon, main stage: Andrej Nikolaidis discusses Homer’s “Odiseja” in “Književnost se gleda”.
• 17:00, Red Salon, Histrokozmos wine stand: Saga o vinu features The Blond One Malvasia from Memento Moris and Istrian Malvasia from Vina Babos.
• 18:00, Red Salon, main stage: Ana Brnardić presents “Jezero”.
• 19:00, Red Salon, main stage: Rosa Montero presents “Opasno je biti pri sebi”.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić.
• 20:00, Red Salon, main stage: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich presents her autobiography “Moj američki san”, with Miljenko Jergović, Radovan Marčić and Aljoša Pužar.

Thursday, 3 December

• 10:00, Red Salon, main stage: Ivana and Thomas Volda present their animated film “Udahnut život” in Hop lektira.
• 11:00, Kavana Mozart: Breakfast with author Rosa Montero.
• 11:00, Red Salon, main stage: Srđan Valjarević discusses Camus’s “Stranac” in “Književnost se gleda”.
• 12:30, Kavana Mozart: Klara Buršić-Matijašić presents “Krnica na pjatu – kuharica none Albine”.
• 18:00, Red Salon, main stage: Ivica Đikić presents “Međugorje” and Drago Glamuzina presents “Crveni zec”.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić.
• 19:00, Red Salon, main stage: Srđan Valjarević presents “Roman o agoniji i vedrini”.
• 20:00, Red Salon, main stage: Andrej Nikolaidis presents his novel “Safari u Sarajevu”, with Emir Imamović Pirke.

Friday, 4 December

• 10:00, Red Salon, main stage: Ana Despot presents her animated film “Šuma Striborova” in Hop lektira.
• 11:00, Kavana Mozart: Breakfast with author Lidia Matticchio Bastianich.
• 11:00, Red Salon, main stage: Jurica Pavičić discusses Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in “Književnost se gleda”.
• 17:00, Red Salon, Histrokozmos wine stand: Saga o vinu features Veronika Cabernet Sauvignon from Vina Benazić and Bepo Merlot from Vina Siljan.
• 18:00, Red Salon, main stage: Ivana Peruško presents “Na rubovima prijevoda…”.
• 19:00, Red Salon, main stage: Žarko Paić presents “Vanja Sutlić: Otvorenost povijesnoga mišljenja i njegove granice” and “The Technoscientific Turn of Philosophy”.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić.
• 20:00, Red Salon, main stage: Jurica Pavičić presents his novel “Atentator”.

Saturday, 5 December

• 11:00, Kavana Mozart: Breakfast with author Srđan Dragojević.
• 12:00, Red Salon, Alternativne oaze Istre stand: “Istarska priča o vinilu” features Ivan Ljutić of Forbidden Dance Records, Andrej Lasić of Cosada Records and Alen Špionjak of Vakum Records.
• 18:00, Red Salon, main stage: Presentation of “Nova knjiga o Istri”, edited by Boris Domagoj Biletić.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić.
• 19:00, Red Salon, main stage: Srđan Dragojević presents “Crveni”.
• 20:00, Red Salon, main stage: Ante Tomić presents “Kraljević Marko oslobađa Imotski”.

Sunday, 6 December

• 11:00, Kavana Mozart: Breakfast with author Boris Domagoj Biletić.
• 12:00, Red Salon, main stage: Presentation of the Dr. Ivo Borovečki Readers’ Award and the Libar za vajk award.
• 18:00, Red Salon, main stage: Presentation of “Don Branko Sbutega”, edited by Antun Sbutega, and the short film “Krava”, directed by Pavo Marinković.
• 19:00, Blue Salon: A bedtime story with Baka Librić.

For: families, first time visitors, history lovers, art lovers

Parking: free of charge

Address: Ul. Leharova 1, 52100 Pula, Istria, Croatia

What to do: information, art