Literature in Dialogue: The 1st Athens International Literature Festival

Identity, gendered violence, the relationship between politics and writing, the future of reading. From 27 to 29 March, AILF at Technopolis City of Athens will present a diverse program of discussions between some of the greatest Greek and international writers, journalists, and critics on the most urgent topics in the world of literature today.

The 1st Athens International Literature Festival (AILF) is happy to present its core program, an exciting lineup packed with conversations focusing on literature and its relation to major issues of our times. The first edition of AILF will take place at Technopolis City of Athens from 27 to 29 March 2026 with free entry. For three days, Athens will welcome leading writers, journalists, activists, academics, artists and curious readers from Greece and abroad, all coming together in a creative hub of dialogue and inspiration.

The discussions will focus on literature as a fertile field for creativity, artistic exploration, deep reflection and social intervention, touching on issues such as identity, gender, violence, inequality, the relationship between politics and literature, and the future of reading. By bringing together different voices and experiences, AILF aims to encourage a meaningful and nuanced conversation between writers and readers, establishing a new, dynamic institution in the city’s cultural life and elevating the festival to a modern celebration of literature where stories, ideas and people are in constant dialogue. 

As the Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, states: “The Athens International Literature Festival pulls together distinct and disparate voices, experiences and concerns to highlight literature as a powerful tool for empathy and social transformation. For three days, great writers, journalists, activists, academics, artists and active readers from Greece and abroad will meet at Technopolis City of Athens. We are proud to bring you a rich schedule packed with conversations and events covering a variety of urgent topics, from the state of contemporary fiction and the relationship between politics and literature, to gender, violence and social inequality, the future of reading and the dialogue between cinema and literature, all available to you for free, along with masterclasses and open discussions with writers and artists. Let’s get literature off the shelf and into society.”

Centering Writers & Their Work 

The core program of the festival revolves around conversations that illuminate the entire body of work of prominent international writers and the themes that permeate their writing. 2025 Nobel Prize winner László Krasznahorkai will meet The New Yorker critic Merve Emre for an intimate conversation about violence, decay, political anxiety and the power of his writing to awaken consciences, posing questions about literature as an act of resistance and vigilance in a crisis-stricken world. 2025 Booker Prize winner David Szalay talks with writer Sofia Nikolaidou about the relationship between writing and gender, drawing on his novel Flesh and the entire span of his work to discuss issues of identity, power and social experience. 2023 Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch meets writer Nikos Mandis to talk about the creative process, literature’s “Irish boom”, contemporary fiction and the challenges ahead in an age of Artificial Intelligence and global upheaval. Irish writer Kevin Barry is joined by writer and translator Christos Asteriou for a conversation about his unconventional heroes and his stylistic and narrative choices, focusing on his books Night Boat to Tangier and The Heart in Winter. 

One of the most prominent American writers today, Nicole Krauss, will be in conversation with writer and translator Lefteris Kalospyros to analyze her complex narrative mechanisms, her approach to the issue of identity, and the diverse influences that shape her work. Starting off from a conversation about his book Le lacrime degli eroi [Tears of the heroes], Italian writer Matteo Nucci will be joined by writer and archaeology professor Dimitris Plantzos to talk about the modern uses of the “classical” and how antiquity is mobilized today as a cultural and political tool. 

German writer Katharina Volckmer will meet poet, publisher and translator Danai Sioziou to talk about her provocative body of work and writing as a space ripe for risk and exposure. Argentinian writer Selva Almada is joined by journalist Tina Mandilara in a conversation about the relationship between writing and community, memory, gendered violence and social despair, exploring how the local and the specific can be transformed into a global literary experience. Lilian Thuram, former football player and now leading activist against racism, will have a discussion with Demis Nikolaidis and Lauretta Macauley, moderated by Panagiotis Menegos, about his recent book White Thinking: Behind the mask of racial identity and racial stereotypes on and off the field. 

Literature, Politics & Contemporary Challenges

Discussions on racism and social inequality become a springboard for the festival to broaden its scope and examine the political and ideological context that allows such phenomena to emerge and proliferate: the rise of authoritarianism and the far-right in today’s Europe. In the festival’s main panel discussion titled Is hope a mistake? Literature and politics in Dark Europe, Nobel prize winner László Krasznahorkai, German intellectual and war correspondent Caroline Emcke, historian and writer Kostis Karpozilos, and the President of Technopolis City of Athens, educator and director of anti-far right collective “Simeio”, Kostis Papaioannou, will examine how barbarism and hate become normalized, how the standards of acceptability in public speech have shifted, and the limits of literature and political thought at a time of uncertainty.  

Gendered Identities, Violence & Modern Writing

Another thematic axis of the festival is the dialogue between gender and literature. In a panel titled Don’t call it murder. It’s femicide, moderated by Anastasia Grigoriadou, writers Selva Almada, Katharina Volckmer and Vicky Tselepidou will use their own books as a starting point to talk about how language obscures gendered violence, how this violence is depicted in literature, and what it means for a writer to create in a deeply patriarchal society. The issue of gender is approached from a different angle in the discussion “Male”, “female” and the concept of the literary character, which will bring together Nicole Krauss, David Szalay and Greek writer Kostas Kaltsas. The panel will use Szalay’s Booker Prize winning Flesh and the diverse array of narrators in Krauss’ work as reference points to talk about how male and female voices are constituted in modern literature, how masculinity and vulnerability are depicted, and what the concept of the literary character means today.

The Current State Of Literature

The festival will attempt to view the present and future of literature through a fresh lens. For the panel The past is in the past: a discussion on the present and the future of literature, influential literary critics Merve Emre (The New Yorker) and Thomas Meaney (editor of literary magazine Granta) are joined by journalist Athos Dimoulas (K magazine) to talk about the role of literature at a time when attention deficits and digital traps are setting new challenges for reading, upending the traditional relationship between books and readers.  

This is also a time when the written word is called to constantly compete against the image. In the panel 1000 images, 1000 words, writers for the page and the screen, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Kallia Papadaki, and Panagiotis Evangelidis, get together with director and screenwriter Yannis Economides to explore where the heart of storytelling beats today. Is the written word still the main tool for artists trying to understand the world or has it been relegated to a source of inspiration for film and TV writers?

Book clubs and reading groups have come to represent a large, dedicated and commercially consolidated community of readers, highlighting the power of active, collective reading. Book club pioneer Vivi Georgantopoulou will be leading the discussion The present and future of book clubs and collective reading with representatives from the most active Greek book clubs, moderated by Mikela Chartoulari. 

Athens, A City For Writers

The festival would not be complete without some connection to the city that hosts it. The special section Athens, a city for writers will hopefully become a yearly staple for the Athens International Literature Festival, illuminating the ways in which the city shapes and inspires writers and their characters. For this first edition, the section will be dedicated to one of the most distinct postwar voices in Greek literature and a formidable chronicler of Athens, Menis Koumandareas (1931-2014). For Koumandareas, Athens is more than a mere backdrop, but a living organism that molds and traps his characters. The event “Time is just a toy. And Athens is everywhere”: Menis Koumandareas and the city will bring together writers Theodoros Grigoriadis, Eliana Hourmouziadou, Christos Chrysopoulos and Maria Fakinou to reintroduce the audience to Koumandareas, shedding light on the unfulfilled desires of his characters and the atmosphere of the city that permeates his entire body of work.     

Masterclasses: In conversation With Contemporary International Literature

Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch and celebrated American novelist Nicole Krauss will be leading two masterclasses as part of the 1st AILF. Participants will have the opportunity to get an inside view of the creative process, explore how narratives are born, and discover the role of language in shaping memory and experience. The masterclasses are designed for readers, writers and literature lovers alike and will be available to a limited number of participants on a first-come, first-served basis. More information on booking and participation fees on ailf.gr. 

The AILF Experience

All panel discussions will be hosted at two of the most iconic Technopolis venues, the Gasholder 1 – Auditorium “Miltiadis Evert” and the Purifier Hall. Entrance will be free with entry passes and more information on the booking process will be available soon. For those not able to secure a seat, all discussions will be shown on screens around the venue with live translation in Greek, English and Greek sign language.  

Beyond the panels, AILF will focus on the direct interaction between the creators and the audience. After every discussion, visitors will be able to meet the participating writers for book signings, which will take place in the specially modified Old Retorts venue. Greek editions of the writers’ books and festival merchandise will be available to buy both at the Technopolis shop and the festival book café, which will take over the INNOVATHENS space. 

But the festival does not end here. A rich slate of workshops, screenings, tours, concerts and other side events will be announced soon. For three days in the heart of Athens, AILF will create a welcoming and inspiring space where writers, readers and visitors can meet, not just to talk about books, but to share experiences, debate ideas and exchange stories. Our goal is for AILF to become a landmark event in the city’s cultural life and a celebration of literature open to all.    

19:45 Longing - anguish - melancholy: the emotional spectrum of resistance | László Krasznahorkai, Merve Emre | Gasholder 1 – Auditorium “Miltiadis Evert”

12:00 The present and future of book clubs and collective reading | Moderator: Mikela Chartoulari | Gasholder 1 – Auditorium “Miltiadis Evert”
13:00 Contemporary uses and misuses of the “classical” | Matteo Nucci, Dimitris Plantzos | Purifier Hal
14:30 “Time is just a toy. And Athens is everywhere”: Menis Koumandareas and the city | Theodoros Grigoriadis, Eliana Hourmouziadou, Christos Chryssopoulos, Maria Fakinou, Alexandra Tranta | Gasholder 1 – Auditorium “Miltiadis Evert”
15:00 An Andalusian dog in Montana | Kevin Barry, Christos Asteriou | Purifier Hall
16:30 The past is in the past: a discussion on the present and the future of literature | Merve Emre, Thomas Meaney, Athos Dimoulas | Gasholder 1 – Auditorium “Miltiadis Evert”
17:00 Don’t call it murder. It’s femicide | Selva Almada, Katharina Volckmer, Vicky Tselepidou. Moderator: Anastasia Grigoriadou | Purifier Hall
18:30 Is hope a mistake? Literature and politics in Dark Europe | László Krasznahorkai, Caroline Emcke, Kostis Karpozilos, Kostis Papaioannou | Gasholder 1 – Auditorium “Miltiadis Evert”
19:00 “Male”, “female” and the concept of the literary character | Nicole Krauss, David Szalay, Kostas Kaltsas | Purifier Hall

14:00 1000 images, 1000 words | Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Kallia Papadaki, Panagiotis Evangelidis, Yannis Economides | Gasholder 1 – Auditorium “Miltiadis Evert”
14:30 Telling the stories we leave untold: a how-to guide | Katharina Volckmer, Danai Sioziou | Purifier Hall
16:00 Literature in turbulent times: the writer as creator and preserver of memory | Paul Lynch, Nikos Mandis | Gasholder 1 – Auditorium “Miltiadis Evert”
16:30 Man, Woman, Other: Does writing have a gender? | David Szalay, Sofia Nikolaidou | Purifier Hall
18:30 Navigating collapse: how to find our way through a forest dark | Nicole Krauss, Lefteris Kalospyros | Purifier Hall
19:00 Deconstructing “white thinking” on its own turf | Lilian Thuram, Demis Nikolaidis, Lauretta Macauley. Moderator: Panagiotis Menegos | Gasholder 1 – Auditorium “Miltiadis Evert”

Book Signings

Friday 27.03.2026 | Old Retorts

19:45 - 20:30 Selva Almada
21:15 - 22:00 László Krasznahorkai

Saturday 28.03.2026 | Old Retorts

14:45 - 15:30 Matteo Nucci, Dimitris Plantzos
16:15 - 16:45 Theodoros Grigoriadis, Eliana Hourmouziadou, Christos Chryssopoulos, Maria Fakinou
16:45 - 17:30 Kevin Barry
18:45 - 19:30 Selva Almada, Katharina Volckmer, Vicky Tselepidou
20:15 - 21:00 Caroline Emcke, Kostis Karpozilos, Kostis Papaioannou
20:45 - 21:30 Nicole Krauss, David Szalay, Kostas Kaltsas

Sunday 29.03.2026 | Old Retorts

15:45 - 16:30 Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Kallia Papadaki, Panagiotis Evangelidis
16:15 - 17:00 Katharina Volckmer, Danai Sioziou
17:45 - 18:30 Paul Lynch, Nikos Mandis
18:15 - 19:00 David Szalay, Sofia Nikolaidou
20:15 - 21:00 Nicole Krauss
20:45 - 21:30 Lilian Thuram

Festival participants: Selva Almada, Kevin Barry, Caroline Emcke, Merve Emre, Nicole Krauss, László Krasznahorkai, Paul Lynch, Thomas Meaney, Matteo Nucci, David Szalay, Lilian Thuram, Katharina Volckmer and Christos Asteriou, Mikela Chartoulari, Vivi Georgantopoulou, Theodoros Grigoriadis, Anastasia Grigoriadou, Athos Dimoulas, Panagiotis Evangelidis, Kostas Kaltsas, Kostis Karpozilos, Lauretta Macauley, Tina Mandilara, Nikos Mandis, Panagiots Menegos, Nikos Bakounakis, Lefteris Kalospyros, Demis Nikolaidis, Sofia Nikolaidou, Yannis Economides, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Kallia Papadaki, Kostis Papaioannou, Dimitris Plantzos, Danai Sioziou, Alexandra Tranta, Vicky Tselepidou, Maria Fakinou, Eliana Hourmouziadou, Christos Chryssopoulos.

Artistic directors: Christos Asteriou, Lefteris Kalospyros, Mikela Chartoulari

Organized by: Technopolis City of Athens 

The 1st Athens International Literature Festival is brought to you by COSMOTE TELEKOM (Technopolis City of Athens Major Sponsor), Athenaeum Eridanus Luxury Hotel (Official Hospitality Sponsor), Welcome Pickups (Official transport sponsor) and is supported by the Embassy of Ireland, the Goethe Institute of Athens (Goethe-Institut Athen), the French Institute of Greece (Institut français de Grèce), and the Italian Cultural Institute in Athens (Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Atene).