international literature festival odessa (ilo)
October 1–4, 2015

In the spring of 2015, Hans Ruprecht and Ulrich Schreiber provided the following information about the project:

The first international literature festival in Odessa took place October 1–4, 2015. The idea was conceived in October 2013 (before the war began with the annexation of Crimea on March 18, 2014) by Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov and cultural managers Hans Ruprecht (Bern) and Ulrich Schreiber (Berlin).

Odessa

• Historically, it is one of Europe’s great literary cities—home to Pushkin, Mickiewicz, Babel, Jabotinsky, Ilf & Petrov.
• It boasts rich cultural institutions: an opera house (opened late 19th century), multiple theaters, and a literature museum founded in 1984.
• It has long been a hub of ethnic and cultural diversity, shaped by the Black Sea region’s many cultures.
• With over one million inhabitants, Odessa is the largest city on the Black Sea, a symbolic border between Europe and Asia.

Like the 2010-founded Odessa International Film Festival, the ilo aims to showcase Odessa’s international appeal and connect it to other global cultural hubs.

The festival features both literary and political programming, engages schools and universities, and operates bilingually, reflecting the strong presence of Russian in the region. Foreign texts are also read in their original languages, with translation provided.