"The event will be opened by David Szalay, the English writer of Hungarian descent who won the Booker Prize last year; his award-winning book, Flesh, will be published in Hungarian for Book Week. This year’s event is the first we have organised without state funding. Despite the difficulties, the Hungarian book industry is holding its own," Katalin Gal, the president of the organizing Hungarian Publishers and Booksellers Association, said.

A Historic Milestone & "Holding Its Own"

This year’s event carries a unique weight behind the scenes. Katalin Gál, the president of the MKKE, revealed that this is the first Book Week in its history to be organized entirely without state funding.

Despite these financial hurdles, the local book industry has rallied completely, drawing over 170 individual exhibitors across the 204 planned stalls to show that the Hungarian literary scene remains incredibly strong.

High-Profile Opening by a Booker Prize Winner

The official opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 11, at 4:00 PM on Vörösmarty Square.

The Guest of Honor: The festival will be officially opened by David Szalay, the internationally acclaimed English author of Hungarian descent. Szalay won the prestigious Booker Prize last year for his latest masterpiece, Flesh.

A Special Release: To perfectly coincide with his appearance, the Hungarian translation of his award-winning book—titled Test — will be freshly published by Libri Kiadó and debuting right at the stalls.

Following Szalay’s address, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony will also deliver a festive welcome speech to the crowd.

Celebrated Awards & Live Music

Beautiful Books: The opening day will host the presentation ceremony for the "Beautiful Hungarian Book 2025" (Szép Magyar Könyv) awards. This expert five-member panel has selected the finest typographic and structural book designs of the past year. Notably, the top fiction category prize goes to Magvető Kiadó for A stockholmi beszéd, which archives the legendary literary Nobel Prize acceptance speech delivered by László Krasznahorkai.

Opening Night Concert: To blend the cozy summer atmosphere with arts, the opening night (June 11) will feature a headline live concert by the deeply beloved Hungarian indie-folk/post-rock band Platon Karataev on the main Vörösmarty stage at 8:00 PM.

What to Expect on the Ground

Over the four days, the 104 programs will be packed with live stage interviews, poetry readings, and endless opportunities for casual readers to mingle.

The core heart of the event remains the direct contact between creators and fans—thousands of visitors will take over the Danube Corso for endless author meet-and-greets and book signings at the individual publisher tents, making it an quintessential cultural weekend in the heart of the capital.

More: 
unnepikonyvhet.hu
 
Photo: Book Week

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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