And Now? International Congress of the Literary Sector in a Time of Political Upheaval

Teresa Grøtan, Bergen, Norway: Freedom of Speech 

Does a festival like the Bergen International Literary Festival, located in a peaceful corner of the world, have an obligation to offer a platform to voices silenced elsewhere? Two examples in our short history: Hosting the Saudi Arabian poet Hissa Hilal in the festival’s inception year of 2019, and the Palestinian author Adania Shibli in 2024. The Hilal incident ended on the highest political level in Norway, after the author received threats at her hotel in Bergen by Saudi diplomats. Adania Shibli held her award acceptance speech at the LitFestBergen opening, the speech that had been cancelled a few months prior at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023 due to the war in Gaza. What role can literature festivals play in defending freedom of speech – and what duty do we have? Is our responsibility in Norway heavier than in other countries? And what are “other countries”? Until the Shibli incident, we thought of “other countries” as countries outside the West, but this is not the case anymore. Threats to freedom of speech are increasingly present everywhere, but, alas, until now, we have not had problems at LitFestBergen. But how far can we go? And how far are we ready to go?

Jenny Niven, Edinburgh, UK: The Art of Reinvention

How do you remake an institution without losing what matters? Three years of navigating change, responding to a shifting cultural and financial landscape, and finding new possibilities while holding fast to purpose and identity.

Ana Gallego Cuinas, Granada, Spain

The controversy surrounding the withdrawal of an invitation to CULTUR_ALH in Granada raised fundamental questions about freedom of expression and the responsibilities of literary festivals. Ana Gallego Cuiñas and Peter Florence debate the political pressures facing cultural institutions and the choices festival directors are increasingly forced to make. Where should festivals draw the line between open debate, political responsibility and cultural boycott?

Joana Pinho, Óbidos, Portugal

The public role of literary festivals in a society where relatively few people read, drawing on the experience of FOLIO and looking ahead to its future. After eleven years, has the festival managed to change the community’s relationship with books and literature? FOLIO has chosen to make its programme freely accessible, removing the economic barrier to participation. But is that enough to reach audiences who may still perceive literature as an elitist space? These questions could also lead to a broader reflection on what the FOLIO of the future should be, and what a literary festival can and should do for the community around it.

Rui Couceiro, Porto, Portugal

BABELL emerged with ambition and delivered on it: in its very first edition, the event, promoted by the Livraria Lello Foundation in co-production with Porto City Council, brought together one of the most impressive line-ups of international authors, attracted hundreds of thousands of people and stood out for its innovative approach to access, which led to many thousands of books being sold in bookshops across the city of Porto. Rui Couceiro, the event’s curator, shares the challenges, difficulties and achievements of an event that France 24 and ABC said had made Porto “Europe’s new book capital”, while El Mundo called it “the world capital of literature”.

Moderation:  Peter Florence