Bokbar is a place where people get together to talk and think about books. We organise book talks, book clubs, exhibitions and fiestas – all linked to Nordic literature and culture. Check out our upcoming events below.
MARDI GRAS: SEMLA!
Our heads and hearts are usually filled with books and buns, but next week they will be filled with semlor. Mardi gras is coming and the beloved, almighty and creamy semla will be back only this day. Come get yours – we’ll be open from noon until we run out (and we will run out, fast).
P.S. Takeaway limit: 2 semlas per person – because hoarding is not the semla spirit. <3
Illustration made by Isabel Gaillard
TALK & BOOK SIGNING: EMMA HOLTEN
For the first time ever, we’re welcoming a non-fiction writer to Bokbar – and we’re VERY stoked! Since its publication in Denmark in 2024, Emma Holten’s Deficit (Underskud) has become an international bestseller, translated into more than 10 languages.
Holten explores how women’s work came to be undervalued, drawing on feminist economics, pop culture (and Britney Spears) to unpack the care crisis and ask how we can be so materially well-off, yet feel so unwell – and how we might build a better future.
To celebrate its arrival in France, published by Robert Laffont and translated by the brilliant Catherine Renaud, we’re hosting a talk with the writer and thinker herself.
Join us at 72 Rue Julien Lacroix for a Saturday night of conversation and reflection and wine. Doors open at 6:15 PM, and the talk begins at 6:30 PM. The event will be held in English and moderated by Rebecca Hemmingsson.
Free entry. Limited seating (approx. 30 places).
Photo: Claudia Vega
BOKBAR x INSTITUT SUÉDOIS
Bokbar proudly presents our second exhibition of the year. This time we paired up with the brilliant Swedish illustrator and artist Amanda Åkerman.
BOOK EVENT
Together with @editions_laplace , we invite you to an evening dedicated to the life and work of Lars Norén (1944–2021) – one of Europe’s most brilliant and unflinching playwrights. Norén’s vast body of work – spanning poetry, theatre, and his deeply introspective diaries offers a piercing, poetic gaze into the human condition.
For this night, we’re focusing on the final volume of his iconic diary recently out in French: Journal d’un écrivain 2019–2020. In sharp, lyrical prose, Norén reflects on theatre, literature, politics, illness, and the quiet intimacy of daily life.
Join us for an evening of readings from the Diary, wine and snacks, on what we hope will be a warm June night.
BOOK CLUB
It’s time for the third round of our Book Club! Better late than never. This time, things will be a little different – the discussion will be held in both English and French. As long as you have a decent understanding of both languages, you can choose which one to speak.
Our book for this session is a book that floored us all – The Details (Detaljerna) by Ia Genberg. It's a novel centered around four portraits, where the small details, when pieced together, form a life. Can someone we love truly disappear? Who is the true subject of a portrait – the one being painted or the one holding the brush? Do we fully come to know ourselves through our connections with others? It’s elegant, smart, and now I’ll say no more because we’ll discuss it in April.
Find more info and buy your ticket HERE.
BOOK TALK
It’s time for the first event of the year! Bokbar and Éditions Robert Laffont invite you to an evening with Ann-Hélen Laestadius, currently in the spotlight for the release of her second novel in French, titled Straff, translated by the brilliant Anna Postel.
Just like her first novel, Stöld, which was a massive success, we are taken to the heart of the daily lives of the Sámi, the Indigenous people of northern Sweden, who face injustice and systemic violence. Through powerful and immersive writing, it delves into the wounds of a people fighting for their culture and dignity. A gripping and necessary narrative.
Ann-Hélen Laestadius is a Swedish author and journalist of Sámi and Tornedalian origin. After making a remarkable debut as an author of children’s and Young Adult literature—which earned her the August Prize for Best Children’s Novel in 2016—she published her first adult novel, Stöld, which was awarded the Book of the Year prize in Sweden in 2021.
The event will be in English and moderated by Rebecca Hemmingsson
BOKBAR BROCANTE
For the first time ever, we’re thrilled to host a special Christmas market: Bokbar Brocante X Moto and Friends.
JULFEST
Friends! It’s time for our JULFEST aka Christmas party. We promise strong glögg, baked saffron goods, some savory treats and maybe some singing if we’re not feeling too shy. We’ll be closed during the day and we’ll open at 11:00 the day after.
BOKBAR X PIRKKO SAISIO & Éditions Robert Laffont
Bokbar and Éditions Robert Laffont invite you to a meeting and book signing with Finnish author, actress, and director Pirkko Saiso. The evening will be dedicated to the second installment of her Helsinki Trilogy, published in French this September.