First participating authors from Québec announced

Kim Thúy, Gabrielle Filteau-Chiba, Michel Jean, Isabelle Arsenault, Lise Tremblay.

At the Gothenburg Book Fair 2026, we welcome Québec as the Guest of Honour. Its rich and multifaceted French-language literature, shaped by the history, geography and contemporary life of North America, will be presented through both established authors and new voices.

We are proud to present the first participating authors – the beginning of our introduction to Québec’s literary landscape, with more voices to be announced.

Kim Thúy
Born in South Vietnam, Kim Thúy fled the country as a boat refugee at the age of ten and has since made Montréal her home. Drawing on her own experiences of exile and return, she writes with clarity and emotional precision about displacement, memory and belonging. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a translator, lawyer and restaurateur.

Gabrielle Filteau-Chiba
Gabrielle Filteau-Chiba is a writer, illustrator and environmental advocate deeply committed to Québec’s wilderness. After leaving her life in Montréal to live off-grid in a remote cabin in Kamouraska, she wrote her acclaimed debut novel Encabanée (Gömslet), followed by Coyote, a finalist for the prestigious France–Québec Prize.

Michel Jean
Michel Jean is an author, journalist and television anchor, and one of Québec’s most prominent writers with Indigenous roots. His work often centres on the history and present-day realities of the Innu people; his widely celebrated novel Kukum is a tribute to his great-grandmother.

Isabelle Arsenault
Isabelle Arsenault is an internationally renowned children’s book illustrator whose poetic visual language has earned widespread acclaim and numerous awards. A three-time recipient of the Governor General’s Award, she has illustrated celebrated works such as Jane, the Fox & Me and Louis Undercover, and has also written and illustrated her own book, Colette’s Lost Pet.

Lise Tremblay
Born in Chicoutimi, Québec, in 1957, Lise Tremblay is one of Canada’s most acclaimed contemporary writers. Since her debut in 1990, she has received numerous awards for her sharp, restrained prose exploring class, family and the tensions between urban and rural life.

Chers auteurs du Québec, bienvenue à Bokmässan à Göteborg!