ILFU is the largest literature festival in the Netherlands and a daily online platform for literature. From September 23 to October 8, the festival will be held in TivoliVredenburg and other locations in the city.
Opening: Literature vs. Traffic – Artwork 10,000 illuminated books
On September 23, the ILFU, in collaboration with the Spanish art collective Luzinterruptus, will open the festival with an illuminated river of books that will fill the Minrebroederstraat in the center of Utrecht for one day.
The art installation will be opened at 5 p.m. by Eva Oosters, alderman for Culture of Utrecht. Afterwards there are free performances by the Woord900 writers.
At 8pm the streetlights go out and then paths are created through the illuminated book river so that people can walk through it as well. Everyone is cordially invited to bring books again. In this way the books get a third life, with a new owner. The 10,000 books that make up the work of art have been brought together in recent months by the residents of Utrecht. The artwork is open until 3 a.m. and free to enter.
https://ilfu.com/agenda/opening-ilfu-literature-vs-traffic
Book Talks & Exploring Stories
Recurring parts of the festival are the Book Talks with international and national authors such as Jonathan Franzen and Frans de Waal, and the big festival day on October 1: Exploring Stories, with writers on urgent topics of our time, such as Ukraine, sexism, colonialism and inequality of opportunity.
Sunday afternoon 25 September it will be about walking and literature. In Looptijd, Midas Dekkers, Henk Schiffmacher and Bente van de Wouw, among others, talk about their irrepressible urge to walk. It will be an afternoon full of walking literature, with and for walkers, nature lovers, pilgrims and musings.
Young Adult & New Talent
Young Adult enthusiasts have their own festival day: YALFU on Sunday afternoon October 2nd. With a program full of YA writers from home and abroad, famous booksellers and a YA market. You will discover new talent at the national final of the NK Poetry Slam and at the presentation of the Story Competition.
39th Night of Poetry
The Night of Poetry (including the Children’s Night the day before!) forms the festive closing of the festival every year. On Saturday October 8, poets and musical acts will perform in a blistering night in the main hall of TivoliVredenburg.
https://ilfu.com/agenda/39ste-nacht-van-de-poezie
More on ILFU!
The free Utrecht Book Market is back on Sunday 25 September on Vredenburgplein. There are unique Films & Talks about the American writer, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou and there are programs about translation.
View the entire festival program on www.ilfu.com
