Babelica 2026 Focuses on Young Generation

The Babelica 2026 online international fair for independent publishing, focusing on a young generation of authors, will take place on September 21 and 22. Organized by the International Alliance of Independent Publishers, this edition will center its programming on young creators, echoing a special issue of the journal Bibliodiversité titled Resist and Hope, which is scheduled for publication on September 10.

Babelica will focus on the concerns of a young generation of authors facing repression, wars, censorship, and ecological and social upheavals. The fair extends the themes of the special Bibliodiversité issue, which features 30 authors under the age of 30 from 30 different countries. Nations represented include Afghanistan, Ukraine, Palestine, Haiti, Niger, and the Philippines. The collection, prefaced by author Karim Kattan, explores how to defend the freedom to write, publish, and read amid rising conservatism and censorship.

Over the two days, Babelica's roundtables will bring together young authors, publishers, and booksellers to discuss themes from the journal. Most sessions will offer simultaneous interpretation in English, French, and Spanish.

Program Highlights

The first day, Monday, September 21, begins at 9:30 AM with readings of Palestinian texts organized by the Alliance's Arabic-language network. The day will then address repression with a roundtable titled Standing Together Against Repression. Later, the focus shifts to exile and multiple identities with a session called Exile: (Re)constructing Oneself Between Several Worlds.

At 5 PM, publishers and authors from Ukraine, Palestine, and Lebanon will discuss how to project tomorrows in a context of war. The day continues with a meeting on nature and spirituality as a refuge to resist and hope, featuring participants from Chile, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru.

Day Two Schedule

Tuesday, September 22, starts with a roundtable on transmission and adaptation, organized with the International Association of French-Language Booksellers. The program will then cover topics of body and gender, followed by the decolonization of imagination and literature, with contributors from Niger, Mauritius, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Martinique.

The day concludes with a discussion on artificial intelligence titled AI: Between Dream and Nightmare, featuring publishers and authors from Morocco, Switzerland, Cameroon, and Colombia.

Rights Markets and Exhibitors

As in previous editions, Babelica will host two rights markets. One will be dedicated to children's literature, the other to literature and human sciences. The fair will also present titles from 170 independent publishing houses from 60 countries. This selection will be unveiled starting September 18.

The full program for Babelica is available on the International Alliance of Independent Publishers' website.