The Lisbon Book Fair returns to Eduardo VII Park between May 29 and June 16, with a set of proposals that publishers have created to fill these days with literary activities that go beyond selling books.

Every year, one of the main bets of the publishers is the launch of books during the event, if possible with the presence of the author, for conversations with the public or for autographs.

This is the case of Joël Dicker, whose new 'thriller', 'A Wild Animal', will be launched by Alfaguara, with a presentation by João Tordo, and who will be at the fair for a 'cross talk' with the writer Javier Castillo.

In the same publishing group, Penguin Random House Portugal, the launch of 'The Universe of Destructive Sects', by António Madaleno, and 'Deadly Revenge', by Bruno M. Franco, is also planned.

The Brazilian writer Jeferson Tenório, who has just released 'Estela sem deus', and the Franco-Moroccan author Leila Slimani, who will publish a graphic novel, illustrated by Clément Oubrerie, entitled 'The Incredible Life of Suzanne Noel', will be present for autographs and to promote their new books.

The Presença publishing house will take advantage of the book fair to launch the novels 'The Wallet', by Francesca Giannone, one of the best-selling books of the year in Italy, winner of the Bancarella Prize, and the Korean success 'Almonds', by Won-Pyung Sohn.

As the fair is also an opportunity to relaunch classic and timeless works, Presença will focus on new editions, with new translations of 'The Vulture and Other Stories' and 'The Metamorphosis', by Franz Kafka, on the centenary of the author's death (June 3, 1924), as well as 'The Years', by Virginia Woolf.

Quetzal will launch 'Cadente', a debut novel by Mário Rufino -- who will be at the fair for autographs -- written in a poetic and confessional style, about the pains of childhood, youth and growth, family ties, old age and Alzheimer's disease, an uncomfortable book that has been very well received by critics.

During the fair, Quetzal will also publish 'The Oligarch's Journey', by Miguel Szymanski, and 'A Bright Place for Dark People', the latest by Argentine Mariana Enriquez, who presents here a set of 12 stories, in which evil, the macabre, the surreal and the supernatural burst into everyday realities.

Contraponto has scheduled the launches of the new books by Ricardo Costa, 'Happiness is Lucrative', by Sophie Seromenho, 'Enough Self-Criticism', and by Joana Marques, 'Elephant in the Room'.

Relógio d'Água, which always has a prominent place at the top of the fair with several pavilions, some dedicated only to the sale of backlist books at sale prices, will launch 'The Eternal Death', by Liu Cixin, the long-awaited third volume of the trilogy 'The Past of Planet Earth'.

Other releases by the publisher planned for the fair are the most recent book of short stories by Lydia Davis, 'Our Unknown', as well as the new novel by Deborah Levy, 'August Blue', and 'Song of the Prophet', by Paul Lynch, the winner of the 2023 Booker Prize.

In the Guerra e Paz publishing house, the two new releases reserved for the fair are 'Feita e Desfeita', a book by the American Lyla Sage that follows the new trend of 'cowboy' novels, and 'The Solitude of Israel', the new book by Bernard-Henri Levy, which looks at the 'intensification of the Israeli-Arab conflict'.

As for the launches of Tinta-da-china, there are several throughout the more than 15 days of the fair, including the collection 'The Heroines of the Arts', and its first volume, 'Irrequieta, Madalena Perdigão', by Catarina Sobral.

'For a Political History of Race', with the presence of the author, Jean-Frédéric Schaub, 'Rock Rendez Vous -- A History in Images', with the organizer, Luís Carlos Amaro, 'Anthology of Brazilian Erotic Short Stories', with the presence of the organizer Eliane Robert Moraes and presentation by Anabela Mota Ribeiro and Isabel Lucas, are other launches planned by the publisher.

The novels 'The World's Greatest Modern Woman', by Susan Swan, who will be present, and 'Miguilim', by João Guimarães Rosa, as well as the book 'As Melhoras da Morte', by Rui Cardoso Martins, are other highlights of the Tinta-da-China pavilion, which will also have a session dedicated to the Pererê collection of Brazilian children's literature.

Porto Editora presents 'Velar por Ela', by Jean-Baptiste Andrea, winner of the Goncourt Prize, who will be in Portugal for the launch of the book, and 'Cor da Pele', by Desirée Bela-Lobedde, among others.

In addition to the launches, the publishing group is promoting several conversations, including with Rafael Gallo, José Saramago Literary Prize, based on 'Dor fantasma', and 'Alexandre O'Neill. A Literary Biography', by Maria Antónia Oliveira, as part of the celebrations of the centenary of the author's birth.

In Gradiva, the highlights include the collection 'Eduardo before being Lourenço -- youth texts', the 'thriller' 'Central Park', by Guillaume Musso, 'Blood of My Blood', by Michael Cunningham, who will be at the fair, a new edition of 'Contact', by Carl Sagan, and a new edition of 'Luís de Camões', by António José Saraiva, with a preface by Ernesto Rodrigues, as part of the celebration of the poet's 500th anniversary.

With regard to comics, the publisher has reserved for the occasion the launch of 'The Photographer of Mauthausen', by Salva Rubio, Pedro Colombo and Aintzane Landa, 'The Secret Life of Writers', by Guillaume Musso and Miles Hyman, and 'Iliad Vol. 3 -- The Fall of Troy', by Luc Ferry, Didier Poli, Clotilde Bruneau and Pierre Taranzano.

Leya's program includes the presentation of the new book by Joana Bértholo, 'Augusta B or The Young Educated Women 80 Years Later', and the launch of the book 'Carlos Gil. A Photographer in the Revolution', coordinated by Daniel Cortesão Gil, with texts by Adelino Gomes, recently reissued by Caminho in a revised and augmented edition on the 50th anniversary of April 25.

Other highlights of Leya include the launch of the book 'The Cemetery of Eternal Pleasures', by Domingos Amaral, and 'Camões -- Life and Work', by Carlos Maria Bobone, with the presence of the authors, and also a conversation about the new updated edition of 'Oriente Próximo', by Alexandra Lucas Coelho, with the author, with Shadd Wadi and the special participation of Dima Akram.

The publishing group has, moreover, a full agenda of autograph sessions and conversations with authors, among which stand out names such as Lídia Jorge, Conceição Lima, Ana Paula Tavares, João Melo, Ondjaki, António Jorge Gonçalves, Nuno Artur Silva and Vitor Cardoso, among many others.

Leia Também: Novo livro de Joana Marques chega às lojas já em junho (Portuguese version)