Costa Navarino to Host ‘Democracy and Books Weekend’ in September

Prominent authors, philosophers and politicians from around the world will gather between September 14 and 16 at Costa Navarino in Messinia, in the Peloponnese, to attend the Democracy and Books Weekend.

Co-organized by the New York Times (NYT) Democracy Forum for the fourth consecutive year, the event will take place on the occasion of Athens’ role as World Book Capital for 2018.

The weekend event will bring together prominent speakers, key opinion leaders and influencers, authors and politicians, who will discuss the long-standing interconnection between democracy and books and the contribution of books to political change and social awareness.

The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort

Among the speakers are author and philosopher Pascal Bruckner; author and environmentalist Stanley Johnson and former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski. The panel discussion will be moderated by The New York Times Book Review editor Pamela Paul.

A number of parallel events will also be held throughout the Weekend, aiming to offer authentic experiences. These include book reading sessions; philosophy walks in the Messinian countryside and  guided tours to the exhibition “When Pictures Paint a Thousand Words”, which features illustrations by renowned Greek artist Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas.

The Democracy and Books Weekend will take place within the framework of The NYT Athens Democracy Forum, which will be held for the sixth consecutive year between September 16 and 18, in Athens.