Festival of Literature Across Borders
International Literature Festival Berlin Returns for its 18th Edition
The International Literature Festival Berlin is set to return for its 18th edition, running from September 5th to the 15th. This year's event will take place at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Wilmersdorf, promising a diverse and captivating lineup of readings, panels, and films.
Over the course of ten days, attendees can look forward to over 200 authors from 50 countries gracing the festival with their presence. Among the notable names are Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan, who will be reading from her work on September 15th at 19:30, and Pulitzer Prize and Prix Goncourt winner Patrick Chamoiseau, who will be reading in both French and German on September 11th at 19:00.
Comics fans will not be left out, as the traditional Graphic Novel Day takes place on September 9th at 10:00. Michael Ondaatje, author of the Booker Prize-winning novel "The English Patient," will be reading from his work on September 14th at 19:00, while English novelist Will Self will be doing the same on September 6th at 21:00.
Russia's enfant terrible Vladimir Sorokin will also be in attendance, reading from his work on September 11th at 19:30, in both Russian and German. Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai will be reading from his work on September 13th at 18:00.
The festival will cover a wide range of topics, including the Lehman Brothers collapse, the future of drug policies, decolonization, and a survey of recent scientific literature. An 11-panel series will delve into this last topic, with anthropologist Daniel L. Everett discussing "How languages are formed" in English on September 7th at 18:00.
There will also be opportunities to get books signed, and a poetry slam pitting Berlin school students against each other, with the final taking place on September 13th. On September 4th at 10:00, there will be a tribute screening of Claude Lanzmann's nine-and-a-half-hour Shoah, followed by a Q&A with Ai Weiwei after a showing of his Human Flow on September 6th at 18:00.
For younger audiences, there will be around 30 readings and workshops specifically designed for children and young adults. However, no author is scheduled to read at 19:00 on September 14th, and the closest relevant event is John von Düffel reading from 11:00 to 12:00 on that day in Neuruppin.
The International Literature Festival Berlin is not to be missed for anyone with a passion for literature and a desire to engage with some of the world's most talented authors. Tickets and further information can be found on the festival's official website.
