In early July 2025, İntrotema participated in the 10th Bookstan International Literary Festival in Sarajevo, held from July 2 to 5 under the theme “DETO(NATION)”. The festival brings together authors, editors, translators, and literary professionals from Southeast Europe and beyond, exploring literature as a space for dialogue, identity, and cultural exchange.
Bookstan hosted around 40 events, including panels, workshops, and youth programming. The festival emphasized translocal voices, multilingual work, and hybrid literary forms. Its guiding idea of “No East, No West” was reflected in multilingual programming and a commitment to cross-cultural conversation.
At Bookstan, İntrotema focused on:
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Presenting our portfolio, especially fiction, youth, and illustrated works, to regional publishers and translators.
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Meeting editors and agents interested in borderland and hybrid narratives.
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Exploring collaborative translations, co-editions, and cross-market promotion.
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Observing trends in Southeast European literary scenes.
Over four days, we met with publishers from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Slovenia. Several editors expressed interest in translating Turkish short stories and young adult novels. Conversations highlighted a growing appetite for works reflecting hybrid identities, multilingualism, and experimental forms. Translation rights were discussed not only as commercial opportunities but also as ethical gestures across cultures.
Bookstan’s intimacy, aesthetic seriousness, and dedication to dialogue make it a remarkable platform. We leave Sarajevo inspired, with new connections, promising translation leads, and renewed motivation to foster cross-border literary collaboration.