Irek Grin, the ECC (ESK, Europejska Stolica Kultury) curator responsible for literature, announced on Wednesday that Wroclaw will apply for the title of UNESCO's City of Literature (Miasto Literatury UNESCO). The application will be submitted in March 2015, and UNESCO shall select the winner in autumn.
Cracow has been UNESCO's City of Literature (Miasto Literatury UNESCO) since last year. Grin underlines that most of all it is a prestigious title, because it does not bring any money. "However, it enables to prepare a development strategy of the city through literature. The guidelines included in the application will not focus on the promotion, but on innovations related to the creative book industry", explained Grin. "And also remodel what is already happening in literature in the city".
As a part of this remodelling, for example this year's Angelus Central European Literature Award (Nagroda Literacka Europy Środkowej Angelus) will be combined with Bruno Schulz Festival (Festiwal Brunona Schulza).
Wroclaw is also planning to enter the ICORN network (International Cities of Refuge Network). The establishment of this network was inspired by the case of Salman Rushdie — a British writer of Indian origin, who was put under "fatwa", that is an Indian curse which orders Islam followers to kill him, twenty-five years ago for his novel "The Satanic Verses". ICORN is a network of cities that respect freedom of persecuted writers and provide them with working conditions that they do not have in their countries. Wroclaw needs to be invited by one of ICORN members to be able to join it. "I know that we will be invited by Cracow", says Grin.
"I treat the European Capital of Culture (Europejska Stolica Kultury) in Wroclaw literally", Grin underlines. "That's why we started conversations with organisers of many literary awards about Wroclaw being the host of those events as the ECC in 2016. We also want to host the World Congress of Translators of Polish Literature (Światowy Kongres Tłumaczy Literatury Polskiej) and Transatlantyk Award (Nagroda Transatlantyk) which is given to an outstanding promoter of Polish literature abroad".
Grin also has ideas for events related to the unusual promotion of reading. "Haruki Murakami rarely chooses to participate in author meetings, but is happy to run in a marathon. We want to invite him to run in Wroclaw", says Grin.
Other ideas, gathered under provisional name of "Twierdza Literatury Wrocław" (Wroclaw Fortress of Literature), will cover publishing plans, collaboration with the Museum of Sir Thaddeus ("Muzeum Pana Tadeusza") and other institutions in Wroclaw involved in literature.
ECC (ESK) curators will share their projects with city residents and those interested in the ECC for the next six months. Krzysztof Maj, the Director of Impart 2016 Festival Office (Biuro Festiwalowe Impart 2016) responsible for ECC organisation announced a meeting with the curators preparing the music programme — Ewa Michnik and Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny — on February 26. Both women will talk about preparations in New Horizons Cinema (Kino Nowe Horyzonty) at 6:00 pm. The admission is free. Meetings with curators will be organised each month.
Jarosław Fret, the chairman of the ECC Board of Curators (Rada Kuratorów ESK), on February 26 will also announce the requirements for applying for microgrants by those people who want to join the activities of the European Capital of Culture (Europejska Stolica Kultury) with their projects.
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