9-18 October 2026, Beirut Books returns for a 4ndedition. This year, the festival organized by the French Institute of Lebanon chose to register as part of the new Beirut Book Fair, which will bring together for the first time, at the initiative of the Minister of Culture, French- and Arabic-speaking publishers within the same space at the Seaside Arena.
The French Institute wanted to accompany this ambition: to restore Beirut’s role as the regional capital of books and publishing. Beirut Books will offer a rich programme within the exhibition, enriched by the proposals of the French Institute of the Near East. This presence will be complemented by a series of literary and artistic proposals in several places in the city, as well as by programmes in all the regional branches of the French Institute of Lebanon.
More40 authors,authorities, illustrators and artists from9 countrieswill meet in Lebanon during10 days. Novels, narratives, poetry, comics, essays and youth literature will be honoured through meetings, round tables, dedications, exhibitions, workshops, musical readings, performances and concerts, in French, Arabic and English, for the general public as well as the school audience
Beirut Books – A Mediterranean edition
Enlisted in the Mediterranean Season, a series of events that France organizes throughout the year 2026, this fourth edition celebrates the writings, voices and imaginations that flow between the different shores of the Mediterranean. It brings together personalities from the Lebanese, French, French and Mediterranean literary and artistic scene, and brings together languages and disciplines.
Among the many guests are Ryoko Sekiguchi, Jul, Blandine Rinkel, Joumana Haddad, Dominique Eddé, Eric Veillé, Charif Majdalani, Raphaël Meltz, Stéphanie Dujols, Alexandre Najjar, Hala Moughanie, Manal Salamé, Gracia Bejjani, Michèle Standjofski, Charles Berberian, Fred Nevché, Walid Hajar Rachedi, Barbara Polla and many others.
Beirut Books – Highlights
- Thursday, October 8 – The Fourth National Reading Time: all over Lebanon11:15. As a prelude to Beirut Books, all Lebanon is invited to devote fifteen minutes to reading, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of Lebanon.
- Friday 9 October –Loghofet or lost name:JUSJ Oriental Library, Monot, 8pm. A show between music, poetry, narratives and documentary materials with Diala Lteif and Fred Nevché, also presented onsaturday 10 October at 7 pm at the Rachid Karamé International Fair in Tripoli.
- Sunday, 11 October –States:Coffee shop 33, Monot, 8:30 p.m. An Open Mic poetry evening with Rima Abdul Malak, Rita Bassil, Gracia Bejjani, Pamela Chrabieh, Joumana Haddad, Malena Kadi, Blandine Rinkel and Mahmoud Wehbé.
- Monday, 12 October –Who owns the women’s bodies?:Charles Corm Foundation, Mathaf, 8pm. An episode ofEast-The Night, the podcastEast-The Day, exceptionally recorded in public with Manal Salamé and Gracia Bejjani, accompanied by a musical intervention by Fred Nevché.
- Tuesday 13 October –Savour Beirut:No Chef in the Kitchen, Gemmayze, 8pm. A gastronomic and literary experience with Ryoko Sekiguchi, inspired by his book961 hours in BeirutAnd the translator Sarah Chahine.
- Wednesday 14 October – Around the translation ofI am my freedom:iFL/IFPO stand at the Salon, 5pm. Cross-meeting with Rana Idris (Dar al Adab) and Stephanie Dujols, on the French translation of Nasser Abu Srour’s book, in partnership with the OIF and Stephan bookstore.
- Thursday 15 October –I fold the land:Beit Beirut, Sodeco, at 6:00 p.m. Opening of Catherine Cattarizza’s photographic installation, accompanied by a reading ofRyoko Sekiguchi.
- Friday 16 October –What can literature do?:Sursock Museum, 7pm. A literary and artistic evening around the place and power of literature.
- Saturday 17 October – Alexandre Lenot, Prix des five continents de la Francophonie 2026: meeting around his work at the Salon, among the meetings highlighting the new voices of French literature.
- Sunday, October 18th – Concert designed « How are you? »:Amphitheatre Montaigne of the French Institute of Lebanon, Beirut, 7pm. Charles Berberian and Michèle Standjofski, accompanied by the music of Shifo Keefo, will close this fourth edition of Beirut Books.
Beirut Books – all over Lebanon
Beirut Books continues its commitment to access culture beyond the capital. Through the network of branches of the French Institute of Lebanon, meetings and workshops will be held in Junieh, Deir el-Qamar, Tripoli and Zahlé. The youth will occupy a central place throughout the ten days, with writing and drawing workshops, animated readings, meetings with authors and illustrators, activities around comics, games and appointments specially designed for young readers.
At the Seaside Arena, the joint booth of the French Institute of Lebanon and the French Institute of the Near East (IFPO) will be a living space of meetings, debates, discoveries and dedications from 9 to 18 October.
All Beirut Books events are free, subject to availability.
Beirut Books 2026
9-18 October 2026
Beirut Arab and International Book Fair – Seaside Arena
In Beirut and the region
Full programme:if-liban.com
Instagram: @if liban
Facebook : French Institute of Lebanon
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