Full Line-up Announced, European Writers' Festival

Renowned names such as Laurent de Sutter (Belgium), Pajtim Statovci (Finland), Sasha Salzmann (Germany), Emma Dabiri (Ireland), Igiaba Scego (Italy), Nora Ikstena (Latvia) and Elisa Victoria (Spain) join a host of other brilliant authors, such as Joanna Elmy (Bulgaria), Larisa Faber (Luxembourg) and Alycia Pirmohamed (Scotland). See full list of authors here.

As we in Europe are once again shaken to the core by conflict and upheaval, the second European Writers’ Festival builds on the success of the 2023 festival and addresses the theme of Transformation, hoping to demonstrate that community, debate, entertainment and storytelling can unite us in creating hope and positive transformation. Bigger, better and braver, the 2024 Festival is a unique opportunity to enjoy some of the best European prose and poetry in English translation over one star-studded weekend. See the full programme here. Tickets will go on sale via the British Library website on 8 March.

Organised by the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) London in partnership with the European Literature Network and the British Library, and with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom and the European Parliament Liaison Office in the United Kingdom, the European Writers' Festival is once again curated by former BBC journalist Rosie Goldsmith, director of the European Literature Network. 

UCL European Institute and UCL Arts & Humanities are proud to be formally partnering with the European Writers' Festival for the first time in 2024, alongside The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement and English PEN.

Dr Tim Beasley-Murray will be chairing a session on 'Transforming Historical Narratives' on 19 May, and UCL will host one of the authors represented for a Writers' Residency connected to the European Literary Map of London.

“UCL European Institute and UCL Arts & Humanities are delighted to be supporting this year’s European Writer’s Festival, and the work it does to provide a platform for, and stimulate exchange between, some of the most exciting writers in Europe today. We are also thrilled to be offering a Writer in Residency programme linked to the European Writers’ Festival for the first time, as part of a wider project to support new writing on London from a European perspective, and to highlight the city’s enduring relevance as a hub for European – and global – culture.

Lucy Shackleton, Head of Public Policy & Partnerships, UCL European Institute