The 54th edition of the Foire du Livre (Brussels Book Fair) invites literature enthusiasts to reflect on our connection with the living world, reality, and human solidarity through the theme “Habiter le monde.” Place de l’Europe – Citizens’ Agora will host European writers and publishers who will be discussing the topical issues, in view to supporting the shared European  values.

Au nom du père: Mateusz Pakuła and Lukas Bärfuss are both renowned authors and playwrights. In his award-winning book “Comment je n’ai pas tué mon père et combien je le regrette” (PL: “Jak nie zabiłem swojego ojca i jak bardzo tego żałuję”), which he adapted for the stage, Mateusz Pakuła advocates for the right to die with dignity. Lukas Bärfuss, on the other hand, distances himself from pathos in his work “Le carton de mon père”, a poignant reflection on inheritance, as he explores the impact of the absence of his unknown father. Both works serve as tributes to lost fathers, where love remains present.

Mateusz Pakuła (b. 1983)

Author and director, Mateusz Pakuła has received multiple awards for his plays, adaptations and productions. In Poland, he has been honored with the Gdynia Drama Award and the special prize from Teatr magazine. He has published several collections of plays.

The book “Comment je n’ai pas tué mon père et combien je le regrette” (PL: “Jak nie zabiłem swojego ojca i jak bardzo tego żałuję”), his first work of prose published in 2021, was nominated for the Gdynia Literary Award and the Witold Gombrowicz Literary Prize in Poland. In January 2023, a theatrical adaptation of the book, directed by Pakuła himself, premiered at Łaźnia Nowa Theatre in Kraków and Stefan Żeromski Theatre in Kielce. This production earned him a nomination for the prestigious Polityka Passports, one of Poland’s most significant cultural awards, presented annually by Polityka magazine.

His latest books include “Skóra po dziadku” (Grandfather’s Skin), published in August 2024, and “Lucek, Ludwika i sprawa świętego Jogurta” (Lucek, Ludwika, and the Case of the Holy Yogurt), a novel for young readers released in early 2025.

Lucas Bärfuss (b. 1971)

Lukas Bärfuss is a Swiss writer and theatre director based in Germany. He is one of the most prominent German-speaking authors of today. Politically engaged and outspoken, following in the tradition of the great German intellectuals, he advocates for a world where intellectual values outweigh the economic concerns.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Bärfuss worked as a scrap dealer and gardener, eventually taking over a bookstore. His writing engages with the pressing social issues, particularly those affecting the most vulnerable. As a playwright, he brings a distinctive rhythmic intensity to his texts, enhancing their powerful sense of realism. He has published numerous plays and literary works. In 2019, he received the Georg-Büchner Prize, one of the most prestigious German literary awards, for his entire work. His book “Hundert Tage”, his first novel, and “Koala”, as well as the plays “Die sexuellen Neurosen unserer Eltern” and “Der Bus”, have been translated into Polish.