International Literature Festival Programme Announced

This May, International Literature Festival Dublin will present over 100 events, with over 100 writers from countries across the globe, who will gather in Dublin to debate, provoke, delight and enthral.

This year's festival runs from 17 -26 May and tickets are on sale now from ilfdublin.com

ILFDublin 2019 brings great world thinkers to Dublin to enlighten and provoke debate with the sharpest contemporary writing. Paul Mason mounts a radical defence of the human being; Naomi Wolf explores the hot topic of censorship; Fintan O’Toole dissects nationalism and identity in the age of Brexit and Åsne Seierstad reports on radicalisation in Syria. This is, in Roberto Calasso’s words: ‘The Unnamable Present’.

New partnerships, commissions and an ever wider array of international writers coming to the festival are also at the heart of the programme. In ‘Building Stories’, cross art forms in the company of architects and artists, and in conversation with writers ranging from Tomoka Shibasaki to Alice Rawsthorn. Artist Colin Priest and sound poet Caroline Bergvall present new commissions, as well as an eclectic group of Norwegian authors as the 2019 focus country, from children’s illustrator Ella Okstad to explorer Erling Kagge.

ILFDublin welcomes three authors all featured on the long list for the Man Booker International Prize - Samanta Schweblin, Juan Gabriel Vásquez and Tommy Wieringa.

The exciting programme for children and young people, Tall Tales, also addresses the big issues. The world-renowned R J Palacio (Wonder) – whose call to kindness is the central focus of her work – will read at a special event this year and Flossie Donnelly, who at 12 years old, is the youngest ever ILFDublin speaker, takes part in the Authors 4 Oceans event.

Added to that are workshops for writers to explore their craft, literary trails through Dublin, advice from industry insiders and a chance for people living/working in the capital to tell their own stories inspired by the DNA of Dublin.

Martin Colthorpe, International Literature Festival Dublin Programme Director said today:

"Dublin is a dynamic and rapidly changing city. It is the perfect setting to explore and encounter new writing from around the world. Our festival seeks to experiment and to challenge expectations, just as its great writers have done throughout history."

The full 2019 ILFDublin programme can be downloaded here.