General Information

The festival has existed since 2001 with 6-8 permanent workers and a varying number of interns and volunteers. Essentially thanks to financial aid from national institutions like the federation’s cultural foundation and the capital’s cultural funds and help from embassies, foundations, foreign cultural institutes and sponsors – such as “Der Spiegel” and “Skoda” it has with both non-cash and service benefits a capacity of over one million euros a year. Every year in september it transforms the city of berlin for twelve days in a melting pot of international literature with readings, discusissions and other events based on the work of over 100 writers from nearly 50 countries who take part in the festival. Prose, poetry, conversations with writers and political discussions, children’s and young adults’ literature, film adaptations of literary texts In 2007 it garnered around 400 articles in the national press and 40 in foreign newspapers, as well as 80 radio and 21 television contributions. 483 journalists accredited themselves. Since 2001 the yearly number of visitors has advanced to 34,000, among them 10,000 children and young adults. The festival’s reputation has been able to develop to an enormous degree. It has been embraced worldwide, and now numbers among the A-list festivals. Every festival has an emphasis on a special region, this year literature of the arab world. The festival therefore cooperates also contentual with foundations and other institutions in the arab world.