This is the eleventh edition of the Festival of the European Short Story and here are the results.

To this day seventy writers from fifteen European countries have visited FESS. The Festival has been hosted in six Croatian cities. Fifteen anthologies of the European short story, with at least as many books written by the Festival’s guests, have been published and promoted at the Festival. Within the Festival seven translation workshops in contemporary European literatures have been organized and in cooperation with international partners their winners have been awarded study visits to Poland, Italy, Ireland, Sweden and Spain.

FESS is a platform for promotion of other eminent European literary festivals, and it served as a role model for Olga Tokarczuk, a Polish writer, who founded sister International Story Festival in Wroclaw. Besides hosting foreign writers in Croatia, the Festival had the privilege of organizing a number of visits of Croatian writers to different countries in Europe. We work closely together with prominent organizations, initiatives and institutions throughout Europe. With the support of the City of Zadar the Festival established a writer’s residency in Zadar, which will every year host one participant of FESS.

Our partners are strongholds of culture, public spaces and clubs in which literature of Zagreb, Rijeka, Zadar, Osijek… lives its full life. We are supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the Zagreb Office for Culture, the City of Rijeka, the City of Zadar, the European cultural institutes situated in Zagreb, the embassies of the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Spain, USA… Our media sponsors are some of the strongest Croatian media houses. At the festival we read, discuss, cook, promote books, screen films, stage concerts… We have the best audience, the best volunteers and the best team who cares.

We love what we do.
Is there a better reason for celebration?
See you soon at the Festival of the European Short Story!