First information about the line-up:
Between the opening speech by Taiye Selasi and the closing event with Salman Rushdie, who will speak about his autobiographic novel “Joseph Anton”, close to 200 events of contemporary international literature will be presented in Berlin. A special feature of the ilb are the premiere readings by authors whose books will be presented in Germany for the first time (Hannah Dübgen, Mohsin Hamid, Daniel Kehlmann, Georg Klein, Liao Yiwu, Eshkol Nevo, Jeet Thayil, and Lila Azam Zanganeh).
Other authors, including José Eduardo Agualusa, Khaled Al-Khamissi, In Koli Jean Bofane, Roberto Calasso, Rafael Cardoso, Bora Ćosić, Patrick Deville, Mathias Énard, Ashur Etwebi, Arnon Grünberg, Helon Habila, Antjie Krog, Julia Leigh, Ben Lerner, Alain Mabanckou, José Manuel Prieto, Joachim Sartorius, Habib Selmi, Samuel Shimon, Roman Simić, Tzveta Sofronieva, Robinson Solo, Felix Stephan, and Koenraad Tinel will be presenting their work in the form of readings, lectures, or speeches. Within the “International Children’s and Young Adult Literature” programme series, participating guests are, among others: Milena Baisch, Azouz Begag, John Boyne, Chen Jianghong, Inés Garland, Yves Grevet, Finn-Ole Heinrich, Joke van Leeuwen, Raquel J. Palacio, Andreas Schulze, Ruta Sepetys, Seyyed Ali Shodjaie, Bhajju Shyam, Janne Teller, and Józef Wilkoń.
One focus within the festival is a debate on the subject of “age”. 25 events as part of the “Welt-Weisheit” (“Wisdom of the World”) project will look at society’s understanding of growing-old, as well as at scientific research on the subject. International authors like Dacia Maraini, Georg Stefan Troller, Franz Hohler, and Herb Wharton will read from essays that have been written specially for the festival. The main topics are “growing old”, “experiences in life”, “wisdom” and “co-operation among the generations”. In the “Reflections” series, authors and well-known scientists like Prof. Dr. Clemens Tesch-Römer from the German Center for Gerontology will talk with the audience about how age is perceived in science and literature.
Debating current political discussions and developments is a characteristic trait of the ilb programme. This series will be continued by a discussion with one of Pakistan’s most important political journalists from, Ahmed Rashid, with the authors Shereen El Feki (“Sex and the Citadel”), and Geert Mak (“America”). Furthermore, the Spanish judge Carlos Castresana, who has earned international recognition as a strong rival of corruption and who was state prosecutor in the law suit against Pinochet will also be participating.
Another reoccurring part of the programme is the GRAPHIC NOVEL DAY on which we will be presenting national and international comic artists.
On June 4th, the ilb will hold a Worldwide Reading for Li Bifeng, a Chinese author who has been imprisoned repeatedly because of his regime-critical writings. The last conviction included a 12-year sentence because of supposed economic offences. The time he had spent in prison before this last conviction already adds up to a total of 12 years. Further information at www.worldwidereading.com
The ticket sales for this selection of authors has started today in the Haus der Berliner Festspiele (phone 0049(0)30.25489-100 or www.berlinerfestspiele.de/literaturfestival:
04.09.2013 18:00 Uhr
04.09.2013 20:30 Uhr
05.09.2013 19:30 Uhr
06.09.2013 19:30 Uhr
06.09.2013 21:00 Uhr
07.09.2013 19:30 Uhr
09.09.2013 19:30 Uhr
10.09.2013 09:30 Uhr
10.09.2013 12:00 Uhr
11.09.2013 19:30 Uhr
13.09.2013 19:30 Uhr
13.09.2013 21:00 Uhr
14.09.2013 18:00 Uhr
14.09.2013 20:00 Uhr
14.09.2013 21:00 Uhr
15.09.2013 11:30 Uhr
15.09.2013 18:00 Uhr
A ticket for all events costs € 80, € 60 (students), € 40 (pupils and friends of the ilb).
The ilb would like to thank all its supporters, especially the Capital Cultural Fund in Berlin, who ensure core financing, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research for funding the project “Wisdom of the World”, which is taking place as part of the “Science Year 2013 - The demographic chance”(www.demografische–chance.de). Also, we would like to thank the Berliner Kulturverwaltung for supporting the Graphic Novel Day and the comic-related activities of the ilb with funds for the “Promotion of Innovation Potential in Culture” (INP) programme from the “European Social Fund for Regional Development” (EFRE). Additionally, we would like to thank the Berliner Festspiele for nine years of support and hospitality.
We would be glad to have you as our guest!
Kind regards
Ulrich Schreiber (Festival Director)
]]>We would be very happy if you would participate on the 4th of June by organising a reading in your own home town or city.
If you would like to participate, please confirm your support by writing to: worldwidereading@literaturfestival.com.
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The event will be chaired by two of Germany’s best comic connoisseurs: Jens Balzer (Berliner Zeitung) and Andreas Platthaus (FAZ).
Scott McCloud was logical in the form he chose to present his explorations into the theory and history of comics, i.e. by publishing them as a comic. His three volumes already released in as translations in Germany, Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics were worldwide successes and are seen as standard works on the subject. During his stay in Berlin, he will appear at two events (one for school pupils) speaking about comics as writing with pictures, children and art, the fundamentals of storytelling and the relationship between comics and the Internet.
The reason for Chris Ware’s visit is the release of his graphic novel “Jimmy Corrigan” in German translation by Berlin’s REPRODUKT publishers. The graphic novel, already hailed as a “century comic”, is seen “as one of the few milestones of an entire genre: it stands side by side with Maus by Art Spiegelman.” (Andreas Platthaus).
The discussion partners and chairs of the event are comic experts – Berlin illustrator/graphic designer Christoph Niemann ("Abstract City - Mein Leben unterm Strich" / Knesebeck publishers), Jens Balzer (Berliner Zeitung) and Andreas Platthaus (FAZ).
Events on 15 March 2013
10 am, Scott McCloud, Chair: Jens Balzer
6 pm, Scott McCloud, Chair: Andreas Platthaus
8 pmr, Chris Ware and Christoph Niemann, Chair: Andreas Platthaus
Please find more information here...
The event partners are the publishing houses CARLSEN and REPRODUKT, the Martin- Gropius-Bau, Modern Graphics bookstore, www.comic-report.de and the Waldorf Astoria Berlin. With a support of the US-Embassy.
The events are organised as part of an initiative by the ilb titled “New Symbols – Comics in Berlin”. It makes efforts, among other things, to involve Berlin comic artists in an international network and is co-financed by Berlin’s cultural administration using money from the European Social Fund for Regional Development (ERDF) as part of the “Promotion of Innovation Potential in Culture” (INP) programme.
You´ll find the Open letter and the contact to "Gathering of Writers for Peace” here...
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