From September 25 to 28, Gothenburg will host the Gothenburg Book Fair, the largest cultural event in the Nordic countries and one of the most important book fairs in Europe. More than 800 exhibitors participate in the fair, which attracts more than 80,000 visitors each year.
This year, one of the focus themes of the Gothenburg Book Fair is Drama. It will highlight the place of drama and theatre in society, both globally and locally. The book fair will feature play readings and discussions on current European and world drama, as well as discussions on various professional aspects of the work of playwrights.
Latvia will be represented at the book fair by playwrights Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce, Artūrs Dīcis, Matīss Gricmanis, Kārlis Krūmiņš, and Ance Muižniece, as well as Latvian Theatre Union international relations coordinator Maija Pavlova, who will participate in seminars, presentations, and play readings.
In September 2025, The Latvian Theatre Union has released a collection of contemporary Latvian drama in English, Five Plays from Latvian Theatre, to coincide with the Gothenburg Book Fair. The collection presents translations of five plays written between 2019 and 2023, each of which has been staged at least once and recognized with a nomination for Latvia’s national theatre award, Spēlmaņu nakts. The book features About us, Sex, Rock and the USSR by Ance Muižniece, The Boy Who Saw in the Dark by Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce, Richard. Nothing Personal by Artūrs Dīcis, The Frankenstein Complex by Kārlis Krūmiņš and MI, and How to Lose a State by Matīss Gricmanis.
Commissioned especially for the 2025 Gothenburg Book Fair Drama Programme, the publication has been developed in collaboration with Nordic and Baltic partners, including the Nordic-Baltic Drama Network, the Estonian Theatre Agency, and the Lithuanian Theatre Information Centre. The initiative has been made possible through the support of the Latvian Theatre Workers’ Union and funding from the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia.
The aim of the compendium is to broaden international access to contemporary Latvian playwriting. Distributed free of charge via drama agencies and cultural institutions, the collection will be made available at performing arts events in Latvia and abroad.
The project has been led by Maija Pavlova and Jevgeņija Šermeņeva, curators of the International Latvian Theatre Showcase, the visual design of the book was created by the artist Ieva Upmace.
Events with Latvian delegation participation
Thursday, September 25
12:30 p.m. – Drama stage – “Fearless and Vulnerable: Women’s Perspectives in Drama,” participants: E. L. Karhu, Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce, Birutė Kapustinskaitė, Piret Jaaks; organized by: Estonian Theater Agency (45 min)
1:30 p.m. – HALL G4 - “The Freshest of the Fresh: Women’s Perspectives from the Baltic States,” participants: Andra Teede, Ance Muižniece, Birutė Kapustinskaitė; Organized by: Estonian Theater Agency, Latvian Theater Union, Lithuanian Theater Center (60 min)
Friday, September 26
10:00 a.m. –HALL G4 - Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce “Song Festival”, participants: Ance Muižniece, Artūrs Dīcis, Kārlis Krūmiņš, Matīss Gricmanis, Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce; organized by: Latvian Theater Union (45 min)
4:00 p.m. – HALL R22+23 - “The Sliding Ethics of Documentary Theater,” participants: Pia-Maria Roll, Irena Kaus, Steffan Julén, Rasa Bugavičūte-Pēce, Jenny Aschenbrenner; Organized by: Sakli(g)t/Rikstolvan, Institutet för Framtidsstudier, IFFS (60 min)
Saturday, September 27
2:00 p.m. – Drama stage - Contemporary Latvian Drama – Book presentation, participants: Ance Muižniece, Artūrs Dīcis, Kārlis Krūmiņš, Maija Pavlova, Matīss Gricmanis, Rasa Bugavičute-Pēce; organized by: Latvian Theater Union (45 min)
Full program available at https://goteborg-bookfair.com/uploads/sites/45/2025/08/BOK25-EN-semprog-webb.pdf