Press releases

• The German-Dutch literary festival “Literarischer Sommer / Literaire Zomer” will take place this year from July 2 to September 16.
• An extensive program of readings, exhibition tours, poetry slams, discussions, and literary walks awaits all book lovers in the region.
• A total of 30 authors bring the festival’s Euregional spirit to life through 50 events in 19 cities.

The Literary Summer is back for another edition: The largest German-Dutch literary festival will take place this year from July 2 to September 16. The City of Aachen’s cultural department is participating for the 19th time and has nine diverse events in store for literature enthusiasts throughout the city.

Opening in Aachen
: Aachen is in for a special treat: The Euregional Festival will be officially opened on Aachen soil with a reading by Stefan Hertmans at the Ludwig Forum for International Art on Thursday, July 2, at 7:30 p.m. Susanne Güntner from the cultural office emphasized at a joint press conference: “I am particularly pleased that we are hosting the ‘opening event’ in Aachen this year. The Ludwig Forum is an excellent venue, as it is well known as a place of interdisciplinary exchange.” Both program events at the Ludwig Forum explore the connection between literature and the visual arts: Both Hertmans’ novel “Dius” and the complete works of Hanns-Josef Ortheil—which will be presented at a matinee on Sunday, July 5, at 11 a.m.—are characterized by a special focus on the visual arts.

The First Euregional Poetry Slam at the Literary Summer
—Whether it’s readings, exhibition visits, discussions, or literary walks—a total of 30 authors will bring the festival’s Euregional spirit to life through 50 events in 19 cities. This is particularly evident in one of Aachen’s program highlights: The popular poetry slam at the Säulengelände on the Lousberg will take place this year for the first time as a “Euregional edition.” The performances will be held in three languages: German, Dutch, and French. All poetry slam fans should mark Saturday, July 18, at 7 p.m. on their calendars.

At the same venue, those interested can meet Gerhard Henschel and hear him read from his novel “Oma Jever” on Friday, July 24, at 8 p.m. The Schmetz am Dom bookstore is especially looking forward to welcoming Markus Orths this year; he will be reading from his book “Die Enthusiasten” there on Wednesday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m.

The fact that the program always makes room for authors who are just making their debut alongside big names is demonstrated, among other things, by an event at the city library. There, on Thursday, August 13, at 7 p.m., Anne Sauer will present her first novel, “Im Leben nebenan,” which explores two different life scenarios of the same woman. In addition, Joost Oomen will visit the City Library on Wednesday, August 5, at 7 p.m. to present his book *Ein volles Leben*.

Two literary walks, on Saturday, July 18, and Saturday, August 22, will round out the Aachen program.

Tickets
: The festival pass, priced at 40 euros (reduced rate: 25 euros), is valid for all events except the literary walks, the Short Story Night in Cologne, and the exhibition tours in Düsseldorf and Aachen. The individual ticket price for events is 12 euros (reduced rate: 6 euros).

Literary walks in Aachen, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, and Cologne cost 17 euros each. Guided tours of exhibitions in Aachen cost 3 euros, and in Düsseldorf, 5 euros. They can only be reserved in combination with a reading.

Tickets for the events are available online at www.literarischer-sommer.eu or, for the events in Aachen, at the Schmetz am Dom bookstore.