Fabula ‒ Literature of the World festival

In 2025, the festival will take place under the slogan Distorted Reality, reflecting the complexity of the modern world and exploring how literature disrupts and reshapes our perception of everyday life. This slogan is not just an aesthetic choice; it raises questions about how our understanding of the world is shaped by linguistic, cultural, and political frameworks. Literature serves as a tool to navigate these layers, revealing reality as fluid, subjective, and often manipulated. The central programme of literary evenings and the theoretical focus will feature authors whose works blur the boundaries between reality and irrationality, individual and collective experience, and the tangible and abstract.

A key milestone in 2025 is the festival’s expansion to Celje, where both main and accompanying events will take place, creating a new cultural hub. With literary discussions, author talks, and interactive installations, Fabula will connect the local community with international voices. The festival remains firmly rooted in Ljubljana, a UNESCO City of Literature, where the focus will be on expanding the humanities segment, fostering international collaborations, and increasing professionalization. Events will also be held in Maribor and other Slovenian cities, ensuring Fabula continues its mission as a promoter of reading culture across generations.

This year’s literary guests include renowned authors: Japanese writer Yoko Tawada, British-German author and activist Sharon Dodua Otoo, Mexican writer Guadalupe Nettel, and Croatian author and screenwriter Dora Šustić. The Fabula Hub programme, dedicated to emerging voices, will host the Italian-Pakistani writer Saif ur Rehman Raja, with whom the festival will inaugurate its literary residency in Celje. The selection reflects Fabula’s dedication to showcasing literary greats while supporting emerging voices, with a focus on gender, geographical, and stylistic diversity.

Beyond literature, the festival’s humanities-theoretical focus critically examines pressing societal topics in collaboration with academic institutions and publishers. In 2025, it will feature two keynote speakers: American political scientist Francis Fukuyama, who will discuss identity and democracy in Ljubljana, and Israeli philosopher Noam Yuran, who will address economic and cultural issues in both Ljubljana and Maribor. Both lectures align with the festival’s Distorted Reality theme.

Fabula also offers a rich accompanying programme for all generations. The Young Fabula programme engages children and young readers, while Fabula Polis brings interactive literary installations to public spaces. Collaborations with Slovenian publishers, bookstores, and libraries (Fabula Select), cross-genre projects blending literature with other arts (Fabula Beyond Literature), and initiatives fostering new literary voices (Fabula Hub) further enrich the programme. The international Fabula x CELA segment enhances European and global literary connections. With main events in Celje, Ljubljana, and Maribor, and additional activities across Slovenia, Fabula continues bridging communities and expanding access to high-quality literature.