An annual must for bookworms, Berlin’s foremost literature festival brings together a host of prominent and lesser-known authors from across the world alongside special guests like legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog. With Lavina Frey taking over from longstanding director Ulrich Schreiber, visitors can expect things to be done a little differently this year.
Our books editor Alex Wells has done the leg work, and chosen a selection of ten events for you to check out – five must-sees and five off the beaten track options.
Five must-sees
Werner Herzog
A rare opportunity to hear a reading and conversation with legendary director Werner Herzog. He will be talking with the writer Jan Brandt about the importance of writing and literature for his film work.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, Sep 14, 19:00, tickets 25€, 18€ reduced, details.
Sunjeev Sahota
Sahota’s novel China Room tells the story of the forced marriage of a 15 year old girl in rural Punjab in 1929, who then falls in love with one of her husband’s brothers.
- Bertelsmann Repräsentanz, Unter den Linden 1, Mitte, Sep 7, 19:30, tickets 10€, 8€ reduced, details.
Cristina Rivera Garza
In her memoir Liliana’s Invincible Summer, Rivera Garza investigates her sister’s murder by her ex-boyfriend in 1990. It is an unflinching appraisal of the widespread violence against women in Mexico.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, Sep 12, 18:00, tickets 10€, 6€ reduced, details.
Shehan Karunatilaka
Karunatilaka’s novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida has become an international bestseller since winning the Booker Prize in 2022. The story follows Maali, a war photographer who wakes up one morning in the afterlife. He has seven days to solve his own murder from beyond the grave.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, Sep 12, 19:30 and Sep 13, 18:00, tickets 10€, 6€ reduced, details.
Liana Finck and Doireann Ní Ghríofa
Poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa and comic artist Liana Finck explore female creative power in their works. Come along to listen in to their conversation as they discuss the role of women as geniuses in art.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, Sep 15, 19:30, tickets 10€, 6€ reduced, details.
Five off the beaten track options
Beyond Western Mythologies w. Jennifer Neal & Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
Neal and Llyod Banwo talk about storytelling beyond Western mythologies in the context of their novels Notes on her Color and When We Were Birds.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, Sep 11, 21:00, tickets 10€, 6€ reduced, details.
Black Sea Stories w. Nino Haratischwili and others
Black Sea Stories is a trans-cultural literary project which brings together authors from Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Ukraine, in order to promote dialogue about the significance of the Black Sea region in times of war and hatred.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, Sep 12, 18:00, tickets 10€, 6€ reduced, details.
New Magical Realisms with Shehan Karunatilaka, Bora Chung and Ibtisam Azem
Who decides where reality ends and magic begins? Join Ibtisam Azem, Bora Chung, and Shehan Karunatilaka to discuss the legacy of the magical realism genre.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, Sep 13, 18:00, tickets 10€, 6€ reduced, details.
Stories from Kabul: Contemporary Afghan Literature
Two prominent Afghan authors – Homeira Qaderi and Siamak Herawi – read from their current works. Herawi now lives in the UK, and presents his novel Tali Girls, while the US resident Qaderi reads from her memoir Dancing in the Mosque. They both lived in Kabul until the Taliban took power in mid-August 2021.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, Sep 15, 18:00, tickets 10€, 6€ reduced, details.
“Artist Alley” multilingual comic fair for Graphic Novel Day
Discover new international comic releases and meet people from the Berlin comic scene at the 13th edition of Graphic Novel Day. There will be readings, talks and evening live drawings.
- Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstr. 24, Charlottenburg, Sep 16, 15:00, tickets free, details.
