Istanbul Tanpınar Literature Festival to welcome writers from around the world

The 8th Istanbul Tanpınar Literature Festival (ITEF), which has the theme "City and Voices," starts May 8. Along with readings and talks by writers, the festival will feature literature panels and events by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists as well as digital literature, poetry and story events. Lovers of literature can attend concerts and literature performances free of charge. The Dimitrie Cantemir Roma Cultural Institute will host the opening ceremony, which is organized in collaboration with the Everest Publishing House. Other festival venues are the Beyoğlu Municipality, KargArt, the Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar Museum Library, Erbulak House, the Italian Culture Center, the Kuzguncuk Nail Bookstore and Nevmekan. Booklovers can meet world-famous 85-year-old children's book author Uri Orlev at the festival. Israeli author Orlev, whose books have been translated into more than 30 languages, will attend under the sponsorship of the Consulate General of Israel in Istanbul.

In attendance at the festival will be Libris Literature Award Nominee Elvis Peeters with "De ontelbaren" (The Uncountables), a fascinating novel concerning the refugee crisis, and Swedish thriller writer Emelie Schepp whose "Markta för live" (Marked for Life) has been translated into many languages.

In addition, Erlend Loe, Keith Ridgway, Meltem Halaceli, Linda Polman, Michela Murgia, Tibor Fischer and Sarit Yishai Levim will be at the festival.

At Turkey's first international literature festival, ITEF, foreign writers from all around the world will meet students within the scope of the "Writers in Schools" project, ongoing for four years in collaboration with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education.

As part of the project, Australian children's author Sussanne Gervay and "Barry Loser" series author Jim Smith join the festival under the sponsorship of Martı Publishing House. Mechthild Glaser, praised for his novel "The Book Jumper," Syrian author Gulnar Hajo and Romanian author Adina Rosetti will also be in attendance. During the "Professional Meetings" event sponsored by the Yunus Emre Institute with contributions by the Ayrıntı, Can and TEAS Publishing houses, publishing professionals will visit publishing houses for three days and have the opportunity to closely examine the Turkish publishing world and books that can be translated from Turkish into other languages. The festival continues until May 15.