Literature Behind Bars

When the ilb’s side-programme (that is to say the “Specials” part of the programme) was created in the autumn of 2001, the colleague responsible for this, Martin Jankowski, was walkingpast a small office on his way home.  A report was hanging in the display window which told of an art society’s theatre work with detainees in a Berlin prison.  It seemed interesting, so he engrossed himself in the text on display.  When he eventually decided to carry on home, a woman came out of the office and invited him inside for a cup of tea.  From this initial encounter the friendly cooperation with the legendary AUFBRUCH Gefängnistheater (BREAK OUT Prison Theatre), whose stage productions with Berlin prisoners meanwhile were making a worldwide furore, came to be.  We were inspired by these artists, just like we were by the poetry festival in Medellin, to develop a literary programme for the inmates of Berlin’s prisons and so, LITERATURE BEHIND BARS was born – after all, literature is for everyone!  Since 2001 internationally renowned visiting authors of the ilb have being going BEHIND BARS freely (and without payment), in order to read from their books and hold discussions with the prisoners.  An unforgettable literary adventure for both sides.  LITERATURE BEHIND BARS swiftly became a model event and met with great popularity from prisoners and authors alike.  We have gone to Berlin’s large male prisons and the smaller women’s prisons, in the infamous detention centre in Moabit, also in the juvenile prisons and to the unusual Hakenfelde day-release prison, bringing literature and intellectual stimulus to these audiences.  Many initially sceptical prison officers also began to recognise the tenor of the programme and eventually even came to cherish it!  Today the support and interest is enormous.
The willingness and interest amongst the international authors to give readings in prison became so great that we could not carry out all applications – for indeed, as you can imagine, the organisational effort for an event of this type in comparison to normal readings is very high.  Because of this high demand, since 2005 LITERATURE BEHIND BARS has, whenever possible, been run outside the festival throughout the year by Martin Jankowski and the Berlin Literary Campaign Group (Berliner Literarische Aktion e. V.).  This special event has received attention not just from the German, but also the international press and many German prisons have adopted our approach and made their own events out of it.
It is especially gratifying that in 2010 LITERATURE BEHIND BARS has become a prototype for Europe: Jankowski and his team are active in two pan-European programmes for “Arts and Cultures in Prisons” and because of their nine year long successful work they are also partners and advisors for other literary festivals and German “prison culture” at EU level.
And, of course, we are bringing LITERATURE BEHIND BARS to the 10th International Literature Festival Berlin again!  On Monday 20th September the exceptional Hungarian author György Dragomán is reading from his novel “The White King” in Germany’s biggest male prison in Tegel and on Tuesday 21st September the Viennese author Franzobel is giving a reading in the detention centre in Moabit, Berlin.

Events 2010

20.09.2010, JVA Tegel: György Dragomán (Hungary) "Der weiße König" (t: "The White King"
21.09.2010, JVA Moabit: Franzobel (Austria) "Picus - Novelle" (t: "Picus - Novella")

This event is available (only) for journalists.  Bookings to participate are to be sent before 10th September 2010 at the latest to rahmenprogramm@literaturfestival.com

Literature Behind Bars is taking place for the ninth time this year, up to now 21 authors have taken part, who all together have read in five different prisons.

2009 - 2002

11.09.2009, JSA Plötzensee: Wilfried N'Sondé (Congo / Berlin) "Das Herz der Leopardenkinder" (t: "The Heart of the Leopard Children")
15.09.2009, JVA Tegel: John Wray (USA / Austria) "Retter der Welt" (t: "Saviour of the World")
16.09.2009, JVA Moabit: Robert Littel (USA / France) "Das Stalinepigramm" (t: "The Stalin Epigram")
26.09.2008, JVA Tegel: Nancy Huston (France / Canada) "Ein winziger Makel" (t: "Fault Lines")
30.09.2008, JVA Moabit: Wilfried N'Sondé (Congo / Berlin) "Das Herz der Leopardenkinder" (t: "The Heart of the Leopard Children")
30.09.2008, JVA Hakenfelde: Kiran Nagarkar (India) "Der kleine Krieger" (t: "The Little Warrior")
07.09.2007, JVA Tegel: Katja Lange-Müller (Germany) "Böse Schafe" (t: "Angry Sheep")
10.09.2007, JVA Tegel: Benjamin Kunkel (USA) "Unentschlossen" (t: "Indecision")
12.09.2007, JVA Hakenfelde: Lê Thi Diem Thúy (USA) "Das Weinen des Schmetterlings" (t: The Gangster We Are Looking For")
13.09.2007, JVA Moabit: Nicholas Shakespeare (England) "In dieser einen Nacht" (t: "Snowleg")
12.09.2006, JVA Tegel: Dag Solstad (Norway) "Professor Andersens Nacht" (t: "Professor Andersen's Night")
13.09.2006, JVA Moabit: Claire Keegan (Ireland) "Wo das Wasser am tiefsten ist" (t: Antartica")
07.09.2005, JVA Tegel: Tomas Lieske (Netherlands) "Gran Café Boulevard"
14.09.2005, JVA Moabit: Wanda Coleman (USA) "Gedichte und Songs" (t: "Poems and Songs")
22.09.2004, JVA Tegel: Susanne Riedel (Germany) "Die Endlichkeit des Lichts" (t: "The Infinity of Light")
27.09.2004, JVA Moabit: Martin Amanshauser (Austria) "Chicken Christl"
27.09.2004, JVA Lichtenberg: Andrés Barba (Spain) "La hermana de Katja" (t: "Katja's Sitser")
15.09.2003, JVA Tegel: Feridun Zaimoglu (Germany) "Zwölf Gramm Glück" (t: "Twelve Grams of Happiness")
17.09.2003, JVA Lichtenberg: Tilman Rammstedt (Germany) "Erledigungen vor der Feier" (t: "Transactions Before the Party")
18.09.2002, JVA Tegel: Alan Duff (New Zealand) "Once were warriors"
20.09.2002, JVA Tegel: Silke Scheuermann (Germany) "Der Tag an dem die Möwen zweistimmig sangen"  (t: "The Day when the Seagulls Sang in Two Voices")