Sarajevo: Bookstan, one of the largest literary festivals in the region, concludes

SARAJEVO, (Patria) – One of the largest literary festivals in the region, the International Festival of Literature Bookstan, concluded tonight at Sarajevo's Meeting Point. 

Bookstan gathers the most significant domestic, regional, and international authors, critics, and editors every year.

The International Festival of Literature Bookstan is conceived as a platform connecting the space between East and West, with man and his story at its center.

The fourth edition of Bookstan, which lasted from July 3 to 6, had two central themes: "Citizen of the World" and "Phantom of Freedom."

"This is the best-organized Bookstan so far," stated Kristina Ljevak, editor at the publishing house Buybook, during the festival's closing ceremony, thanking all those who helped send a message from Sarajevo "that is not part of the burden."

This year's literary festival also hosted a workshop on the topic of "Literary Column," which began on June 30 and lasted until July 6. Awards to the most successful workshop participants were presented by literary critic Vladimir Arsenić.

Damir Uzunović from Buybook, the publishing house that is the driving force behind the entire festival, stated that the greatest invention in human history has been and remains the book, while, speaking about Bookstan itself, he quoted Milan Raković, who called Bookstan a literary republic.

During the three-day festival, poetry and literary giants such as Asmir Kujović, Bekim Sejranović, Faruk Šehić, Kader Abdolah, John Freeman, Svetislav Basara, and numerous other writers from the country and the world were presented to the Sarajevo audience.