Conversation is the Beginning of Literature
Believing that literature begins with conversation, but also that conversation can begin with literature, we invite you into the world created by our guests. The uniqueness of literary forms and voices reveals the Lublin City of Literature Festival as a place where some of the most brilliant minds of contemporary writing come together. It is precisely the diversity and interplay of poetry, prose, non-fiction, and international literature translated into Polish that create an aesthetic mosaic, showcasing the full spectrum of human emotions.
Literature – written, spoken, read, displayed, or performed on stage – combines different arts and can be understood in many ways, by everyone. City of Literature is a space of this freedom: the freedom of thought that allows us to meet in dialogue, in conversation, where the sentences we speak can astonish both ourselves and our interlocutors.
We invite you to exceptional encounters at the literary source. We encourage broad-ranging conversations that transcend the contemporary moment. This is perfectly illustrated by Azar Nafisi’s words: “The remarkable feature of great literature, however, is its ability to reflect the prejudices of its author as well as the realities in which that person wrote, while simultaneously going beyond their boundaries” (Azar Nafisi, Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times, translated by Dawid Czech, Karakter 2023).
The festival is based on four pillars that reflect ways of seeing the world and, taken together, show its harmony: prose, poetry, non-fiction, and translation. From September 25–28 this year, audiences will have the opportunity to listen to authors during dozens of events – including author readings, panels, and workshops – taking place at the Lublin Cultural Center. Many program points will also be interpreted in Polish Sign Language.
