Over 180 Poets from 20+ Countries at Bucharest Poetry Festival

Next month, from September 9-15, 2024, poetry will once again take over Bucharest as the National Museum of Romanian Literature (MNLR) prepares a new edition of the Bucharest International Poetry Festival (FIPB). A well-known and eagerly followed event by both the literary community and poetry enthusiasts, the Bucharest International Poetry Festival is celebrating its 14th edition. The festival has grown exponentially each year, becoming one of the most significant events of its kind in Romania and one of the most prominent in Central and Southeastern Europe.

This year, the Bucharest International Poetry Festival will serve as a space for dialogue and reflection for poets from a wide array of linguistic regions—over 20 countries and autonomous communities, including Brazil, Canada, Spain, Portugal, France, Israel, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, the UK, Germany, Moldova, Switzerland, Sweden, Panama, Hungary, the USA, Croatia, Italy, and Serbia.

The festival’s seven-day program comprises over 50 events, organized by the MNLR team and numerous project partners over the past six months. The extensive and varied program includes public readings, debates, conferences, workshops, tributes to notable deceased poets, poetry performances, debut nights, improvisation sessions, screenplay and short film workshops inspired by poetry, and artistic moments where poetry intersects with other arts such as music, painting, and film.

Organized by the Capital City Hall through the National Museum of Romanian Literature, the Bucharest International Poetry Festival celebrates its 14th edition in 2024.

‘We are literarizing the heartbeat’—this year’s festival is framed by this paraphrase of Eugen Lovinescu. Because, regardless of theme, form, influences, or generations, poetry is life itself, with all its lights and shadows, both individual and collective, a broad spectrum that gains meaning once it is literarized. For seven days, we will once again enjoy a setting of experiences and debates centered around poetry, where writing is celebrated as art, alongside the tones of music, the nuances and visions of painting, and the joy of theatrical or cinematic performances. I am grateful to all our partners who have made the 14th edition possible. I trust that poetry lovers or the merely curious, whether classic readers or supporters of poetic experiments, will find in the rich list of readings, debates, and workshops at least one event that will bring them together with us,” said Ioan Cristescu, Director of the National Museum of Romanian Literature and organizer of the event.

Poetry lovers in the Capital are invited to participate in FIPB 2024 events at over ten well-known cultural venues in Bucharest: Central University Library “Carol I”, National Museum of Romanian Literature – Nicolae Crețulescu 8 location, National Museum of Romanian Literature – Calea Griviței 64-66 location, Cărturești Verona, Cărturești Carusel, Humanitas Cișmigiu Bookstore, ARCUB, Kyralina Bookstore, Cervantes Institute in Bucharest, Anton Pann Memorial House, Londohome, and also at major high schools.

The public has free access to the events of the Bucharest International Poetry Festival. The complete program of the project will soon be available on the official website.