Iowa City, Iowa, is known as the home of the Iowa Writers Workshop, a factory that produces novelists. It was not a surprise, then, that Unesco recognized the university town as a city of literature, a designation that recognizes the city's contribution to the written word.
Edinburgh and Melbourne are also labeled as cities of literature. Together, these three locations are part of the Creative Cities Network. Now Dublin would like to join the party.
Unesco requires a city of literature to have experience in staging literary events, and the Dublin Book Festival that opens today is clear evidence that Dublin deserves to be added to the network.
Besides the festival, there's Bloomsday, that annual trek through Dublin that is guided by James Joyce's novels. Nothing so unique as that in Iowa City, to be sure.
There's no money in this, but Dublin City Council is hoping that the Unesco honor could be turned into tourist dollars. As only the fourth City of Literature in the world, Dublin could promote itself as a perfect destination for those who love books and prose and poetry and drama.
Not to forget Dublin's large trove of pubs, and the ready availability of alcohol. What better atmosphere for the writer? How many great works of literary art have been created in a haze of booze?
No comments:
Post a Comment