Eifel Literature Festival 2024 with new director
The Eifel Literature Festival will be launched in 2024 under new management. Lawyer Johannes Zierden has taken over the helm from his father Josef Zierden. "I am very happy that things are continuing," said the new director at the presentation of the program on Friday in Prüm.
There will be a compact edition with six events from April 19 to June 21 - in the Eifel towns of Bitburg, Prüm and Gerolstein. Zierden Junior announced that "the leading lights of the literary world" would once again be expected with a mix of fiction and non-fiction, entertainment and sophistication.
Bestselling author Elke Heidenreich and crime novelist Jean-Luc Bannalec, alias Jörg Bong, have announced their participation in the reading festival. Journalist and TV presenter Christian Sievers and authors Mariana Leky, Navid Kermani and Arno Geiger are also on the program with their latest works.
2024 is an anniversary year, as the festival was founded 30 years ago in 1994. Zierden, who is a judge at Trier District Court, said that the series will continue to take place every two years under the auspices of the Eifel district of Bitburg-Prüm. Essentially, he does not want to change anything about the festival. However, he could imagine more offerings for a younger audience in the selection of authors.
"For me, the Eifel Literature Festival is a fine example of how great, top-class cultural events are also possible in rural areas," said Rhineland-Palatinate State Secretary for Culture Jürgen Hardeck (non-party). The festival will remain "a highlight in Rhineland-Palatinate". "Nothing can replace the live experience and the encounter with authors." The state is supporting the 16th edition of the festival with 15,000 euros. The budget amounts to around 100,000 euros, said Zierden.
In its history, the festival has attracted more than 250 authors from 16 countries to the Eifel region, including Nobel Prize winners Günter Grass (1927-2015) and Herta Müller. According to Zierden Senior, the total number of visitors amounts to a good 100,000.
In 2024, it will be "a festival of upheaval", said the new director. In future, he wants to increase the number of authors per festival cycle again - to a double-digit figure. "The aim is to do more later on and perhaps expand in terms of space," he said.
The Eifel Literature Festival, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024, will feature a variety of literature events and celebrated authors, making it a crucial part of the literary festivals scene. Under the direction of Johannes Zierden, the festival aims to attract an even larger number of esteemed authors, promising a festival of significant upheaval and potential expansion.
Source: www.dpa.com
