Saturday 20th May, opens with a panel on the topic of Stories from the New Europe, discussing how the preoccupations of European literature have changed in the last 30 years. It will be followed by Stories of Freedom, a panel about the reality of fighting for freedom of expression; and Writing About War, exploring what how literature can help us make sense of conflict with a panel of authors including award-winning Ukrainian author Olena Stiazhkina.

Sunday 21st May, begins with Writing About History, discussing the best of historical writing – from pure escapism into the past, to teaching valuable lessons for the future. In the afternoon, Stories of Language and Translation will explore different approaches to language, dialect and translation. Finally, the festival will end on an optimistic note with Looking Forward: European Odes to Joy, focussing on how the best of art and culture can create hope, happiness and a valuable sense of community.

The panels will be chaired by Rosie Goldsmith, festival curator and journalist; Tahmima Anam, author of The Startup Wife; Georgina Godwin independent broadcast journalist; journalist Claire Armitstead; writer and translator Daniel Hahn; and the British Library’s Bee Rowlatt.

Writers include the TS Eliot shortlisted, British-born Cypriot poet Anthony Anaxagorou, bestselling Czech author and playwright Kateřina Tučková, award-winning Scottish journalist Chitra Ramaswamy, Brazilian-born Hungarian novelist Zsófia Bán, Bulgarian poet and novelist Georgi Gospodinov and Ingeborg Bachmann-Prize-winning Austrian novelist Raphaela Edelbauer. Meet the full line-up here: http://europeanwriters.co.uk/writers/

More information: https://www.bl.uk/events/european-writers-festival-the-stories-we-tell

This Festival is organised by EUNIC London (EU National Institutes for Culture) and supported by the EU Delegation to the UK and the European Parliament Liaison Office in the UK.