UCL Collaborates with European Writers’ Festival as New Writer in Residence is Announced

The European Writers’ Festival 2024, the second iteration of the event, will bring together some of Europe’s most influential writers over two days of panels and performances. The British Library in London will host 30 authors from across the continent from May 18-19 to discuss the literature and ideas that define contemporary Europe.

UCL European Institute and the UCL Faculty of Arts & Humanities are supporting partners of the festival for the first time this year, alongside The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement and English PEN.

The festival is curated by Rosie Goldsmith, Director of the European Literature Network, and is organised by the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) London and the British Library, with the support of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom and the European Parliament Liaison Office in the United Kingdom.

Last year’s line-up of writers included International Booker Prize winner the Bulgarian Georgi Gospodinov, with this year’s edition set to feature prize-winning authors Laurent de Sutter (Belgium), Pajtim Statovci (Finland), Igiaba Scego (Italy), and many more. The full line-up can be seen here.

UCL’s partnership with the festival coincides with the launch of a related Writer in Residency programme, brokered by UCL European Institute – and the selection of Bulgarian-born writer and journalist Joanna Elmy as the first Writer in Residence. Joanna’s debut novel, written during her years in university, received a prestigious Bulgarian prize for emerging literature in 2022 and was shortlisted for several other national awards.

During her four-week stay at UCL, Joanna will engage with academics across faculties to develop her second novel which features London prominently and explores ‘cities of the world’ – a modern take on urban spaces partly inspired by Italo Calvino’s approach to writing the city.

Joanna said: “UCL and the European Literature Network are creating a rare and priceless opportunity for me to engage with specific aspects of my current work while immersed in an environment of culture and knowledge related to London and our broader European heritage. It is also an important step towards broadening our perceptions of the city, the continent, what it means to be European and how literature can help us translate all of this into personal meaning.

“I am beyond grateful to have been selected, and also hopeful that such projects are being conceived in times when we seem more prone than ever to forgetting just how crucial literature is for the survival of our humanity – in all senses of the word.”

Rosie Goldsmith added: “Joanna’s originality and energy stood out for me from the outset. As a young novelist and journalist from Bulgaria – a country of great storytellers deserving of more recognition – she is also engaged in international affairs and a fluent English speaker. We couldn’t wish for a better first Writer in Residence.”

The residency is offered in the context of an ongoing project at UCL, the European Literary Map of London, which is an online interactive map featuring over 80 text extracts about London originally written in 20 different European languages, developed by the European Institute, UCL Arts and Humanities and the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, and with each location the site of a real or imagined encounter with London by a European writer.

The residency programme, which is also the product of a partnership between UCL, the European Literature Network and EUNIC London, with accommodation provided by the Goethe Institut-London, is designed to support new writing on London, from a European perspective, diversifying the European Literary Map of London, and adding to a growing portfolio of associated external engagement, from school visits to night walks.

Lucy Shackleton, Head of Public Policy and Partnerships at UCL European Institute, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Bulgarian author Joanna Elmy, writing at the interface of several languages and literary cultures, as our first Writer in Residence, linked to the European Writers’ Festival and UCL’s European Literary Map of London project.

“Joanna’s interest in the interplay between culture, identity and place; between otherness and nostalgia – and her commitment to supporting polyphony in world literature – makes her the ideal candidate to spend time at UCL, and we look forward to facilitating exchange between the UCL academic community and this exciting writer.”

EUNIC London Vice President Marios Theocharous said: “We’re delighted to champion the European Literary Map of London: Writer in Residency Programme. This initiative signifies our commitment to nurturing diverse voices and fostering cultural dialogue within London’s vibrant literary community.”

And Gosia Cabaj, Head of the Information Services Northwestern Europe Region at the Goethe-Institut, said: “As Germany’s cultural institute, we are very much looking forward to hosting Joanna and learning about her work and the perception of European heritage.”