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42nd International Istanbul Book Fair’s Honorary Author and Theme Have Been Announced
The 42nd International Istanbul Book Fair, to be held at TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center from December 13 to 21, 2025, will once again bring book lovers together. The fair will host distinguished publishing houses from Türkiye and abroad, renowned authors, and passionate readers. With hundreds of cultural events and book signings, visitors will enjoy an unforgettable experience.The honorary author of the fair will be Murathan Mungan
By the decision of the TÜYAP Cultural Fairs Advisory Board, Murathan Mungan — one of the most versatile and original voices in Turkish literature — has been selected as the “Honorary Author” of the 42nd International Istanbul Book Fair.
Mungan’s rich literary world, spanning from poetry to theatre, and from short stories to novels, will take center stage at this year’s fair. Throughout the event, his works, contributions to literature, and artistic perspective will be explored through a series of special programs.
Additionally, TÜYAP is preparing a commemorative book focusing on his life and literary journey
The main theme of the fair has been announced as “The Many Moods of Literature.”
The 42nd International Istanbul Book Fair will be centered around the theme “The Many Moods of Literature” this year. Different forms of literature, narrative traditions, and artistic expressions will be explored throughout the fair. Panels, talks, and book signings bringing together readers, authors, and industry professionals will offer an opportunity to discover the limitless world of literatüre
As every year, great interest from book lovers is expected
Admission to the fair is free for students, teachers, children, retirees, and people with disabilities. The fair will be open on weekdays from 10:00 to 19:00, and on weekends from 10:00 to 20:00. It will conclude on Sunday, December 21, 2025, at 19:00. For the event schedule, signing sessions, and more details, please visit www.istanbulkitapfuari.com
About Murathan Mungan:
Murathan Mungan was born in Istanbul. He spent his childhood and early youth in Mardin. He graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Language, History and Geography, Department of Theater and completed his master's degree in the same department. He gained recognition by publishing poems, stories, texts, essays, critiques, and reviews in various magazines and newspapers.
He worked as a dramaturg at the State Theaters in Ankara and the City Theaters in Istanbul. In 1987, he was the editor of the "Culture and Arts Page" at the daily newspaper Söz. In 1991, he prepared and managed a special collection series called "Çilek" for Remzi Bookstore.
His first book, Mahmud ile Yezida, was published in 1980. In 1999, the Ankara State Theaters production of Geyikler Lanetler was invited to the international theater festival "Theater der Welt" in Berlin and was performed at Schaubühne. The same play was staged in 2003 at the Thessaloniki State Theater in Greece. The story "Kasım ile Nasır" from his book Cenk Hikâyeleri, which inspired Geyikler Lanetler, was performed in 1994 in Italy at "La Mamma Umbria."
His short story "Muradhan ile Selvihan ya da Bir Billur Köşk Masalı" from the collection Lal Masallar was staged in 1987 in France at the Théâtre Des Arts de Cergy-Pontoise, directed by Lulu Menase. This story was also selected for Penguin Books' World Stories Anthology in the United States. In 2008, the same story, together with "Binali ile Temir" from Cenk Hikâyeleri, was performed as a musical play in Frankfurt by the "Con Tempo" troupe.
In 2003, his short play Sayfadaki Gibi was part of the project Bin Bir Gece (One Thousand and One Nights) at the Bette Nansen Theater in Copenhagen, bringing together several Eastern writers. The play was also performed in 2005 in England under the name 1001 Nights now at Nottingham Playhouse.
In 1989, Murathan Mungan staged the play Steaming by English writer Nell Dunn under the title Kadınlar Hamamı (Women’s Bath). During this period, two of his radio plays, Dört Kişilik Bahçe and Ölümburnu, were broadcast by Ankara Provincial Radio.
Mungan has written three film scripts, one of which was adapted into a movie. Besides Dağınık Yatak, which was filmed by Atıf Yılmaz in 1984, he also wrote the screenplays for Dört Kişilik Bahçe and Başkasının Hayatı.
Meanwhile, Murathan Mungan continues to publish various anthologies featuring stories and writings by foreign authors.
To date, Murathan Mungan has written many song lyrics, most of which have been performed by the group Yeni Türkü. In 2004, a cover album titled Söz Vermiş Şarkılar, featuring his songs reinterpreted by prominent Turkish singers and bands, was released. This album was followed by two more music albums, Aşk Tesadüfleri Sever and 2020 Model.
In addition to some of his books, various articles and poems by Mungan have been translated into English, German, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Greek, Finnish, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Persian, Kurdish, Spanish, Slovenian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, and Ukrainian, and published in numerous magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. He has participated in talks and reading events in countries such as Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, France, the USA, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Poland. Numerous radio and television programs about Mungan have been produced both in Türkiye and abroad.
In 2018, Murathan Mungan was selected as one of six writers chosen by a related institution from world literature and lived in Berlin for a year with a DAAD scholarship.
The author has been living in Istanbul since 1985 and has been working as a freelance writer since 1988
About Tüyap:
Founded in 1979 by Bülent Ünal, Tüyap is Türkiye’s first trade fair company. Over 45 years, it has led the development of the trade fair sector in Türkiye, organizing numerous fairs both domestically and internationally. Serving over 350,000 companies from many countries and welcoming more than 70 million visitors, Tüyap operates 5 fair centers in Türkiye and has international offices in 6 countries. It regularly holds specialized fairs and maintains long-term collaborations with over 100 professional organizations through its expert team. Tüyap organized the first Turkish export product fairs in China, Russia, and Africa, and currently coordinates an average of 10 international fairs with Turkish national participation annually. As Türkiye’s only private sector trade fair organization owning its own fair centers, Tüyap continues to innovate by integrating digital technologies and hosting hybrid fairs.