City of Literature
Recognition conferred by UNESCO
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The UNESCO's City of Literature programme is a part of the wider Creative Cities Network. The list consists of 53 cities across 6 continents that have played a significant role in the literary tradition of the host countries. Each city nominated to the list has generally met a set of criteria described by UNESCO, such as producing notable writers and authors, constructing important libraries and bookstores, hosting literature festivals and programmes, and publishing major literary works. The nominations are reviewed every four years.
.jpg)
The Network was launched in 2004, and now has member cities in seven creative fields. The other creative fields are: Crafts and Folk Arts, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Media Arts, and Music.[1]
Criteria
To be approved as a City of Literature, cities need to meet a number of criteria set by UNESCO.[2]
Designated UNESCO Cities of Literature share similar characteristics:
- Quality, quantity, and diversity of publishing in the city
- Quality and quantity of educational programmes focusing on domestic or foreign literature at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels
- Literature, drama, and/or poetry playing an important role in the city
- Hosting literary events and festivals, which promote domestic and foreign literature
- Existence of libraries, bookstores, and public or private cultural centres, which preserve, promote, and disseminate domestic and foreign literature
- Involvement by the publishing sector in translating literary works from diverse national languages and foreign literature
- Active involvement of traditional and new media in promoting literature and strengthening the market for literary products
Cities submit bids to UNESCO to be designated a City of Literature. The designations are monitored and reviewed every four years by UNESCO.
About the cities
.jpg)
In 2004, Edinburgh became the first literary city. It hosts the annual International Book Festival and has its own poet laureate—the Makar.[3][4]
Ljubljana runs their Library Under the Treetops at various locations across the city, including Tivoli City Park and Zvezda Park. These sites offer a selection of book genres and several domestic and foreign newspapers and magazines.[5]
Manchester is home to the "world-class" Central Library and the "historic gems" of The Portico, John Rylands, and Chetham's.[6]
Melbourne's home to Australia's oldest public library, the State Library of Victoria; the Centre of Books, Writing and Ideas, The Wheeler Centre; and was home to the world's biggest book shop, Cole's Book Arcade, opened at the turn of the twentieth century.
Prague's "great intellectual and creative resources" includes the book design, illustration, typography, and graphic design fields. It also has the National Library of the Czech Republic, as well as over 200 libraries, one of Europe's highest concentrations of bookshops, and the Prague Writers' Festival.[7]
Libraries in other literary cities include Braidense National Library in Milan, Heidelberg University Library and the National Library of Ireland in Dublin.[8][9][10]
Dunedin is the "Edinburgh of the South", and home to New Zealand's oldest university. Durban is "fun-loving."[11][12]
Cities of Literature
11 countries have multiple Cities of Literature; 10 of them have two, while the United Kingdom has six.
The Cities of Literature are:
