FILIT turns Iasi into literature's autumn capital

FILIT, the International Festival of Literature and Translation, turns Iasi into its base for five days each October, now in its 14th edition. The format hasn't changed much since it started: authors, poets, and translators from Romania and abroad move between events at Casa FILIT in Piața Unirii, the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University, the National Theatre, and museums from the National Museum of Romanian Literature network, plus a rotating set of less obvious venues; past editions have taken writers into schools, the local prison, and even a city newsroom.

Past guests have included Pulitzer winner Junot Díaz, novelist Tracy Chevalier, French author Michel Bussi, and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, alongside dozens of translators working on Romanian literature abroad. The 2026 guest list had not been published at the time of writing.

What sets FILIT apart from a typical book fair is the format: fewer signing-table appearances, more structured public conversations and readings, plus a signature all-night poetry event that closes out one of the festival's nights.