Context – Staging Literature

For the model project Context – Staging Literature, the German Federal Cultural Foundation has teamed up with the association Unabhängige Lesereihen e.V. to develop innovative and experimental formats for presenting contemporary literature. The independently curated, cross-disciplinary events aim to strengthen literary formats and get more people interested in literature. The new event formats will be presented at numerous venues throughout Germany in order to extend their reach into the German-language literary scene. The German Federal Cultural Foundation has allocated 600,000 euros to finance the project from 2025 to 2028.

Contemporary literature in transformation

In the past, literary life was predominantly influenced by literature houses, publishers and festivals – and mostly with a focus on the printed book. Now a new generation of young writers are expanding the literary spectrum with cross-disciplinary, multilingual and performative formats. These new aesthetic and social qualities are enriching the literature scene.

The association Unabhängige Lesereihen e.V. is an anchor point and important network in this dynamic field. It consists of numerous groups and organisations in cities throughout the German-speaking world which are curating reading events largely independent of the book market and established funding structures – by young people for young people. Over the years, the association has become an important forum for discovering new voices of contemporary literature. 

What is being funded?

Funding for the project Context – Staging Literature by the German Federal Cultural Foundation will help finance artistic experiments and new ideas for presenting literature in reading series from 2025 to 2028. The project will focus on curated events, where the event venues – whether they’re in rural or urban settings, bookshops, galleries, restaurants or marketplaces – are considered part of literary experiences and are intentionally staged as such. Thematically speaking, the project will highlight multilingualism in literature, the diversity of literary formats and involvement with and participation in literature. Potential formats could include, e.g. reimagining the interplay of language and sound, or translating texts from one genre to another, e.g. a short story into a graphic novel. Organisers could also explore more inclusive reading formats, e.g. so-called ‘relaxed readings’, during which listeners can move around more freely and where people who seldom frequent such cultural venues feel more at home.

The project invites the members of Unabhängige Lesereihen e.V. to propose innovative concepts for literary events. A curatorial team will oversee the artistic selection, supervise the experimental development of new and adaptable formats, and be responsible for knowledge transfer activities. Accompanying events, such as a nationwide congress, will help firmly anchor the new ideas in the German-language literary scene.