Launched on 13 December and running till 19 December the Patras World Poetry Festival, one of the biggest literary institutions, has turned the capital of Western Greece into a cultural hub, aiming to bring poetry to the national and international fore.
This year, the Festival boasts a variety of literary events with the participation of 70 poets from 20 different countries. Themed “Confinement-Freedom-Human Revolutions”, the Festival aims to combine the memory of the Greek people’s fight for freedom with the contemporary experience of confinement. To this end, it brings novel aims and ideas, along with a greater and more essential need for expression, synergy and communication.
This year too, for its most part, the Festival is held online, with a blended programme combining physical and online events, among which five online poetry meetings including readings and roundtables (15-18 December), the online award ceremony for the Greek ‘Jean Moreas’ Poetry Award (18 December), a newcomer poetry marathon, as well as a number of online shows (meet_the_poets, videopoetry, poetry set to singing, a poetry exhibition, a book exhibition of newcomer poets, an art exhibition and a poetry alley).
During both the physical and the online events, there will be participation from internationally acclaimed academics, novelists, critics, and representatives of institutions.
Under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic and with the support of major universities and other esteemed institutions, the Festival is organized by the Poetry Foundation “Grafeion Poiiseos” and the literary website Culture Book.
It is considered one of the largest literary institutions in Greece and has already drawn attention amongst major literary festivals. The festival’s vision is to promote Greek literary expression worldwide and turn the capital of Western Greece into a European center for literary studies.