The 57th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair once again ranked among the key milestones of the cultural season across the Arab world. This major literary event reaffirmed its strong international dimension — and for the third year in a row, Czech literature was visibly present.
This year’s Czech participation was shaped primarily by Tereza Boučková, a leading figure of contemporary Czech prose and an acclaimed screenwriter. As part of the fair’s literary programme, she appeared in a dialogue with Amr Shatury, professor of Czech language and translator, who recently translated her novel Life Is Beautiful into Arabic. The book was published by the Cairo-based Sefsafa Publishing House.
The discussion went beyond the book itself. Boučková offered Egyptian audiences a broader perspective on her work, as well as personal testimony about life in Czechoslovakia before 1989, experiences of restricted freedom, and the ways these realities shape literary language and storytelling. The encounter thus opened space for a deeper cultural and historical dialogue.
Accompanying Programme And Media Coverage
Tereza Boučková’s stay in Cairo was made possible thanks to the support of the Czech Literary Centre and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Cairo, long-term partners of the Czech Centre Cairo. In addition to the book fair programme, the author gave an interview to Al Qahera News TV and visited major cultural landmarks, including the Grand Egyptian Museum. Czech Radio correspondent Štěpán Macháček also reported directly from the book fair.
Related projects
Long-Term Context
Participation in the Cairo International Book Fair forms part of a broader, long-term effort to systematically present Czech literature in the Arab world — through translations, author events, and expert dialogue with translators and academics. This year’s edition once again confirmed that there is a strong and focused interest in Czech authors and their themes in Egypt.
