EU Reads – Discover Europe Through Books

Published on 25th May 2026

Take a literary journey across Europe – one book at a time.

Dublin City Council Libraries are celebrating Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union with a specially curated ‘EU Reads’ collection.

We have selected books that celebrate the rich and diverse literary heritage of the 27 Member States of the European Union.

EU Reads invites readers to explore the best of European writing – from ancient classics to contemporary fiction – and to discover new voices, cultures and perspectives along the way.

Each EU country will be showcased through selected titles, highlighting the shared and distinctive stories that shape Europe’s literary landscape. Look out for EU Reads books and join events in your local library branch throughout the summer.

Whether you’re revisiting a favourite European author or trying something entirely new, we hope EU Reads inspires curiosity, connection and a love of reading.

Explore the selected titles and reserves from your library here.

EU Reads Collection

Austria
- Bernhard. Thomas, The Loser
- Roth, Joseph, Radetzky March
- Zweig, Stefan, Beware of Pity
Belgium
- Harpman, Jacqueline, I Who Have Never Known Men
- Simenon, Georges, The Snow Was Dirty
- Simenon, Georges, The Saint-Fiacre Affair
Bulgaria
- Deleva, Nataliya, Arrival
- Gospodinov, Georgi, Death and the Gardener
- Penkov, Miroslav, Stork Mountain
- Vazov, Ivan, Under the Yoke
Croatia
- Hilje, Lidija, Slanting Towards the Sea
- Novak, Kristian, Dark Mother Earth
- Sajko, Ivana, Every Time We Say Goodbye
Cyprus
- Anaxagorou, Anthony, Blink That Killed The Eye
- Michaelides, Alex, The Silent Patient
Czechia
- Hasek, Jaroslav, Good Soldier Svejk
- Kafka, Franz , The Trial
- Kundera, Milan, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Denmark
- Dinesen, Isak, Babette's Feast and Other Stories
- Hoeg, Peter, Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow
Estonia
- Kivirähk, Andrus, The Man Who Spoke Snakish
- Kross, Jaan, Czar's Madman
- Luik, Viivi, Beauty of History
Finland
- Jansson, Tove, Fair Play
- Oksanen, Sofi, Purge
France
- Alain-Fournier, Lost Domain
- Diop, David, At Night All Blood Is Black
- Hugo, Victor, Les Misérables
Germany
- Erpenbeck, Jenny, Kairos
- Grass, Gunther, The Tin Drum
- Suskind, Patrick, Perfume
Greece
- Homer, (Mendelsohn translation), Odyssey
- Kazantzakis, Nikos, Zorba the Greek
Hungary
- Krasznahorkai, László, The Melancholy of Resistance
- Marai, Sandor, Embers
Ireland
- Joyce, James, Dubliners
- Keegan, Claire, Foster
Italy
- Di Lampedusa, Giuseppe Tomasi, Leopard
- Ferrante, Elena, My Brilliant Friend
Latvia
- Ikstena, Nora, Soviet Milk
Lithuania
- Gavelis, Ričardas, Memoirs of a Life Cut Short
- Slepikas, Alvydas, In the Shadow of Wolves
Luxembourg
- Burlesk, Jean, Pleasure of Drowning
- Joris, Pierre, Interglacial Narrows
Malta
- Azzopardi, Trezza, The Song House
- Azzopardi, Trezza, The Hiding Place
Netherlands
- Bakker, Gerbrand, The Hairdresser's Son
- Koch, Herman, The Dinner
- Pfeijffer, Ilja Leonard Grand Hotel Europa
Poland
- Lem, Stanislaw, Solaris
- Tokarczuk, Olga, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
Portugal
- Pessoa, Fernando, Book of Disquiet
- Saramago, Jose, Skylight
- Saramago, Jose, Death At Intervals
Romania
- Cartarescu, Mircea, Nostalgia
- van Llewyn, Sophie, Bottled Goods
Slovakia
- Beňová, Jana, Seeing People Off
- Kompanikova, Monika, Boat Number Five
- Kovalyk, Uršuľa, The Night Circus and Other Stories
Slovenia
- Perat, Katja, Masochist
- Vojnović, Goran, Fig Tree
- Vojnović, Goran, Yugoslavia, My Fatherland
Spain
- Marias, Javier, Heart so White
- Mendoza, Educarco, An Englishman in Madrid
- Zafón, Carlos Ruiz, The Shadow of the Wind
Sweden
- Backman, Fredrik, Man Called Ove
- Lindqvist, John Ajvide, Let the Right One In
- Mankell, Henning, Faceless Killers