Creating an Institution
The Chania Book Festival, an annual literary event dedicated to books and authors, is situated in the city of Chania on the island of Crete. This festivalItIt receives financial support from both local municipal and regional authorities. To date, two successful festivals have already taken place, in both 2022 and 2023, with plans for the third festival to be scheduled from June 26 to June 30, 2024.
"Chania is a place that many consider magical and would like to live in. Part of this magic is the spirit it conveys through its buildings, its neighborhoods, its writers, and its people. A book festival with its unique atmosphere is an integral part of this magical puzzle."
All three festivals presented an impressive program in various venues in the historic old Venetian harbor of Chania. The festivals attracted the participation of renowned Greek authors, literary critics, academics, and notable foreign writers.
Among them were the multi-award-winning Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov, Mathias Énard from France, Dutch author Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Argentine author Mariana Enríquez, American author Cara Hoffman, Bernardo Atxaga from the Basque Country, Lana Bastašić from Bosnia, Roderick Beaton from the United Kingdom, Rumena Bužarovska from North Macedonia, Maria Caracausi from Italy, Mona Chollet from France-Switzerland, Ian Collins from the United Kingdom, Santiago Gamboa from Colombia, Andrey Kurkov from Ukraine, Daniel Mordzinski from Argentina, Ruth Padel from the United Kingdom, Leonardo Padura from Cuba, Sergio Ramírez from Nicaragua, Bethan Roberts from the United Kingdom, Santiago Roncagliolo from Peru, Michael Llewellyn Smith from the United Kingdom, Ana María Shua from Argentina, and Éric Vuillard from France.
The primary goal of the Chania Book Festival is to establish itself as an international hub for authors and readers, offering a space for public discussions on literary and social issues. It hosts book presentations, thematic discussions, and a variety of parallel events such as workshops, concerts, film screenings, storytelling sessions, and theatrical performances.