Thanks to the Trenčín 2026 project, the largest Central European literary festival will also be presented to the Trenčín audience
From July 3 to July 13, Trenčín will become one of the host cities of the prestigious Month of Authors’ Reading (MAČ) festival. The event, which originated in 2000 in Brno and today ranks among the most important literary festivals in Central Europe, will take place in Trenčín for the first time thanks to the cooperation with the Trenčín 2026 – European Capital of Culture project.
Exile as the main theme
This year’s edition of the festival is dedicated to the theme of exile – the forced stay of authors outside their home countries. Every evening for eleven days, two authors – one foreign and one Slovak or Czech – will perform at Club Lúč. The festival will open on 3 July at 18:00 in KKC Hviezda with a discussion on freedom of speech with Verona Šikulová and Juraj Buzalka, moderated by Silvestro Lavríek. The musical guest will be Skyva.
“ The Month of Author’s Reading is a unique opportunity to get to know authors from different cultural and social backgrounds. We bring to Trenčín stories about exiles, freedom and the search for home – themes that are still relevant and universal,” says Martin Mazán from the Trenčín 2026 team.
Slovak authorial voices in dialogue with exile
Among the invited guests are prominent names in exile literature from Palestine, Haiti, China, Turkey, Burma, Iran, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. As part of the festival programme, the audience will meet prominent names from the Slovak literary scene who will resonate in dialogue with authors in exile. Their distinctive perspectives will complement the international context of the festival.
Dominika Sakmárová – Author who combines Slovak folklore with the culture of the Far East. She became famous for her book Cat Fur and Camel at the Chinese Wall. Her latest collection of short stories, White Town, draws on Spiš history and magical realism.
Ivana Gibová – Prose writer and author of the collection Usadenina and the novels Bordeline and Barbora, boch & catharsis, nominated for the Anasoft litera. Her work is known for its generational voice and literary experimentation (Eklektik Bastard).
Vanda Rozenbergová – Former bibliographer and author of nine books, six of which have reached the final of the Anasoft litera. Her novel Mages Know More was published in 2024 and is currently a finalist for the Anasoft litera 2025.
Michal Tallo – Poet, prose writer and moderator of the Ars litera programme on Radio Devín. He coordinates the Poems SK/CZ competition and translates contemporary Anglophone literature into Slovak.
Tomáš Forró – Journalist and war reporter. He has covered conflicts in Donbas, Latin America and South Asia. Author of reports that offer perspectives from both sides of the conflict. He studied philosophy and is a translator of philosophical works.
Programme with interpretation and music
All readings will be moderated and interpreted into Slovak, some evenings will be enriched by a musical programme. The final event on 13 July will feature a performance by Silvestr Lavrik and Boris Lenk, who will combine words and music.
Context:Literature in Trenčín 2026
The MAČ festival is part of the wider dramaturgical framework of the Trenčín 2026 project, which, alongside music, exhibitions and theatre, also devotes a special space to literature and the contemporary word. MAČ in Trenčín confirms the ambition to involve the city in international cultural exchange and to bring various forms of art closer to the general public.
The Trenčín 2026 project was supported by the City of Trenčín, the Trenčín Self-Governing Region and the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. The project partner is the European Union.
