Novotvar 2026: José Luís Peixoto, Brenda Navarro, Simon Reynolds and prominent voices of Central European literature
The Novotvar International Literary Festival 2026 will take place from 30 September to 3 October 2026 at V-klub in Bratislava and at other festival venues. The eleventh edition will bring prominent figures from contemporary Slovak and international literature, a strong representation of authors from the V4 countries, and a programme ranging from prose and poetry to music, performance and cultural criticism.
Among the prominent international names in this year's programme is José Luís Peixoto, one of the most important contemporary Portuguese writers and winner of the José Saramago Prize, whose work has been translated into dozens of languages.
Brenda Navarro, a Mexican writer whose work explores themes of loss, migration, violence, motherhood and social inequality, will also visit Bratislava. Her successful debut novel Empty Houses was published this year in Slovak translation by E. J. Publishing.
The younger generation of European literature will be represented by Catalan novelist and poet Pol Guasch, author of the acclaimed novel Napalm al cor (Napalm in the Heart), which was published this year in Czech translation by Euskaldun, as well as Italian novelist Leonardo San Pietro. His debut novel Festa con casuario (Party with a Cassowary) received an extraordinary response in Italy, is currently being translated into thirteen languages, and its Slovak edition is due to be published by Ikar in September.
A strong Central European focus
Literature from the Visegrad Four countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – will have a strong presence this year. The programme will feature individual readings, discussions and meetings devoted to contemporary Central European literature and cultural dialogue in the region.
One of the guests will be Polish poet, essayist and cultural thinker Krzysztof Czyżewski, who has long focused on questions of borders, identity, coexistence and cultural memory. The programme will also feature Maciej Melecki, Zsolt Kácsor, Elena Pecenová, Tomáš Gabriel, Lukáš Csicsely, Gergő Körösztös, Małgorzata Maria Dambek, Maroš Volovár and other authors from the region.
The expanded representation of authors from the V4 countries has been made possible by the support of the International Visegrad Fund, the festival's main partner. The Fund supports regional cooperation between the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
From literature to music and cultural criticism
Among the representatives of the Slovak literary scene appearing at the festival will be Nicol Hochholczerová and Marek Vadas. The international programme will also feature Susanne Gregor, Emília Faur, Anja Mugerli, Eftychia Panajotu, Anne Barbusse, Anna Serra, Anna Bezpala and Irina Georgescu Groza.
Another special guest of the festival will be Simon Reynolds, a leading theorist of popular music and culture and the author of several key books analysing popular music, popular culture, subcultures and their relationship to wider social and cultural changes at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century.
Novotvar traditionally goes beyond author readings. The programme will include discussions, poetry and dance performance, events devoted to literary translation, the photographic-textual installation Ekfrázy, the Novotvar Book Market and, of course, concerts.
The closing part of the first festival evening on Wednesday, 30 September will belong to one of the most distinctive bands on the Slovak alternative scene, the legendary Ali Ibn Rachid. The final festival evening on Saturday, 3 October will be brought to a close by the musical creations of Nylon Union and Ovarius.
The festival will culminate with Zlatá vlna 2026
The ceremonial presentation of the Zlatá vlna 2026 poetry prize will once again be a traditional part of Novotvar. On Saturday, 3 October, it will be preceded by an author reading and discussion with the award finalists. The winner of Zlatá vlna 2026 will then be announced during the official ceremony at V-klub.
The Novotvar International Literary Festival 2026 will take place from 30 September to 3 October 2026 at V-klub in Bratislava and at other festival venues.
The complete festival programme will be presented gradually. Follow Novotvar on social media – Facebook: Novotvar, Instagram: @festival.novotvar.
The Novotvar International Literary Festival 2026 is held under the patronage of the Mayor of Bratislava, Ing. arch. Matúš Vallo.
The Novotvar International Literary Festival 2026 project is supported by the International Visegrad Fund as its main partner.
The project is implemented with the financial support of the Bratislava City Foundation, ProScience Tech s. r. o. and Martinus bookstore.
Domestic partners:
ProScience Tech s. r. o., Martinus, National Centre for Culture, V-klub, City of Bratislava – Bratislava City Foundation, LITA – authors' society, Bratislavská reštaurácia, Slovak Literary Centre, Staromestská Library, University Library in Bratislava, Bázis – Hungarian Literary and Arts Association in Slovakia, Koifer, Faculty of Education, Comenius University Bratislava, The Faculty of Film and Television at the Academy of Performing Arts, Institute of Geography, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava, Chowaniec & Krajčírovič – Svätý Jur Wine Cellars.
International partners:
Austrian Cultural Forum, French Institute, Polish Institute, Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre Bratislava, Czech Cultural Centre, Embassy of Spain, Italian Cultural Institute in Bratislava, Honorary Consulate of the United Mexican States, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Bratislava, University of Ljubljana, Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language, fwd - co funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, Instytut Mikołowski, Tiszatáj, Protimluv.
Media partners:
Vlna – urbánny splietací mág, plan.art
Media contacts:
Novotvar: oznovotvar@gmail.com
Barbora Jozefíková, PR manager: barbora.jozefikova@gmail.com
Web:
novotvar.sk
The Novotvar International Literary Festival 2026 was supported by the International Visegrad Fund.
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We are a team of writers and cultural managers who have been organising cultural events, and the international literary festival Novotvar in particular, for over a decade. The festival takes place each October in Bratislava, Slovakia, with a focus on promoting V4 authors, both poets and prose writers, as well as affiliated artists from the region and connecting them with international authors.
