Athens International Literature Festival 2026

Athens invites readers, visitors and expats to a new chapter in the city’s cultural life with the 1st Athens International Literature Festival (AILF). From 27 to 29 March 2026, Technopolis City of Athens becomes a meeting place for stories, ideas and voices from around the world, with free admission.

Conceived as a lasting cultural institution, the festival unfolds over three days of conversations and encounters dedicated to contemporary literature and the power of the written word. The opening edition features major international names, including David Szalay, Paul Lynch and acclaimed American novelist Nicole Krauss.

AILF opens with the participation of 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate László Krasznahorkai, one of the most influential voices in world literature today. Renowned for his philosophically charged prose, hypnotic long-form sentences and powerful imagery, Krasznahorkai was memorably described by Susan Sontag as a “master of the Apocalypse”. His international stature was further confirmed with the Man Booker International Prize (2015) and through his celebrated collaborations with the late filmmaker Béla Tarr.

The festival’s carefully curated programme of talks, discussions and parallel events invites you to engage directly with internationally recognised authors while discovering new voices. Themes address the questions shaping our world today, from social change to global challenges, while also exploring Athens itself as a city of stories.

Set within the industrial heritage of Technopolis City of Athens in Gazi, the Athens International Literature Festival offers a welcoming, outward-looking space for readers, writers, journalists and culture lovers from Greece and beyond.