Louisiana Literature presents the names of nine international authors in the 15th edition of the festival which will take place from Thursday 20th August until Sunday 23rd August 2026.
According to the museum: Over the past few weeks, Louisiana Literature has announced the names of a number of authors who have confirmed their visit to the festival in Humlebæk in August. In addition to the winner of the Booker Prize 2025, David Szalay, the list also includes previous years’ prize winners, a new star and, as always, authors who are current with new publications in Danish. Here is a presentation of the nine names:
David Szalay
The Hungarian-British writer is acclaimed for his minimalist and captivating realism and has received several awards for his books. His novel Flesh, an exploration of masculinity, sex and money, won last year’s prestigious Booker Prize.
Nelio Biedermann
Louisiana Literature also welcomes the 23-year-old Swiss writer. His second novel Lázár is currently being published in 25 countries and has received international praise from critics, readers and fellow writers.
Kae Tempest
Poet, spoken word artist and musician is also coming to Humlebæk. He is known for his great linguistic sensibility and powerful stage presence – a “truth teller,” according to fellow author Max Porter. In 2014, he was the youngest recipient of the Ted Hughes Award for the long poem “Brand New Ancients”.
Leila Slimani
Won the Goncourt Prize in 2016 for Lullaby , which became an international bestseller. The French-Moroccan author, journalist and women’s rights advocate has been called a “master stylist” and “exquisite storyteller”.
Georgi Gospodinov
“My father was a gardener. Now he is a garden.” This is how The Gardener and Death by the Bulgarian author begins. It is his loving farewell novel to his father, who is suffering from cancer. As in Gospodinov’s other novels, including the Booker Prize-winning Time Hideout, the book deals with themes such as grief, empathy and memory, while the recent history of Eastern Europe and today’s political anxieties form the backdrop for the personal narrative.
Dag Johan Haugerud
Norwegian author and award-winning filmmaker will present his fifth novel, Sjælesorg , which has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize and has just been published in Danish.
Kiran Desai
Born in India and came to the United States as a young woman, moves effortlessly between philosophy, comedy, sensitivity and horror in her books, including The Lost Country, which won the Booker Prize in 2006.
Antonio Scurati
From Italy comes author and literature professor whose international bestseller M , about Benito Mussolini’s rise to power, will be published in Danish translation in August. In his homeland, the novel, which is the first in a planned series about Italian fascism, initiated a public debate about the fascist legacy and was honoured with the Strega Prize, the most prestigious literary honour in Italy.
Katie Kitamura
The American author will present her latest novel Audition, a drama about a successful actress and a much younger man who turns her life upside down. The novel, which was shortlisted for last year’s Booker Prize, is an exploration of role-playing and deception in human relationships. Kitamura herself has called the novel a Rorschach test, where the reader is challenged in their expectations of what they want to be true and what they want to remain in the world of fantasy.
