READING BALKANS

Reading Balkans: Borders vs Frontiers is a continuation of the Reading Balkans: South and East Reaches West project–co-funded by the Creative Europe programme–which aims to promote writers in post-conflict societies. The basis of the first Reading Balkans project was a network of residencies for writers and the promotion of participating authors in Western Europe. This project led to the creation of the website www.readingbalkans.eu where profiles of participating authors can be found. Their works have been translated into English, German and several smaller languages. Three books by Lejla Kalamujić, Petar Andonovski and Tadej Golob have been translated into English and based on these translations, they have been further translated into several smaller languages. Numerous events and festivals have also been organized, as well as promotions of participating authors outside of their home countries. In Reading Balkans: Borders vs Frontiers, the focus is on refugee writers, and residential exchanges remain at the heart of the project. In addition, the focus of the second Reading Balkans project is on short-term mobility for authors who do not participate in residencies, such as visits to festivals that give authors the opportunity to network in an international environment . During the program’s selection process, the emphasis is on those who create literature that encourages dialogue, a literature of compassion.