Though the 2024 roster won’t be published until June 25, one event that’s already been announced should give you a sense of the festival’s importance: the German premiere of Salman Rushdie’s new memoir, Knife, scheduled for the lead-up. The other early announcement: Helon Habila’s appointment at the festival’s first Curator in Residence. A Nigerian-American writer whose accolades include the Caine Prize for African Writing, Habila sees this role as an expansion of the festivals’ global appeal.
Where to stay: Sir Savigny, in a historic literary quarter of Berlin, offers book-lined public spaces—not least, a library where you can play chess, sip coffee or simply settle in with a good book.
Macondo Literary Festival and the Nairobi International Book Fair
September 22-24; Sep 25-Sep 29, respectively
These back-to-back festivals in Nairobi are turning the city into an exceptional literary stop at a time of year when many travelers already plan to be in Kenya for the Great Migration through the nation’s wilderness. First up is the Macondo Literary Festival, which focuses on African histories from an African perspective. The theme for the 2024 edition, The Sea is History, aims to bring together African authors who write in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish with counterparts from the Indian Ocean. Among the first big names to be announced is the celebrated Nigerian novelist Chigozie Obioma, and though many more writers will be added in the coming months, the festival also celebrates cinema and music—and takes place largely at the Kenya National Theatre. Serious book lovers should stick around for the festival that starts the day after Macondo ends: The Nairobi International Book Fair, a regional marketplace for publishing professionals, authors, booksellers, media, and readers from across Africa and the world. Last year’s edition made news with the first international publishing rights fair in East Africa, the goal being a smoother pathway for African writers who’d like to be published domestically and around the world. Watch this space for additional details at the date approaches.
Where to stay: Fairmont Norfolk Hotel, a partner of the Macondo Festival, has historically welcomed all kinds of dignitaries, literary and otherwise.
The Buenos Aires International Book Fair
April 23-May 13
