Voices of Freedom: Romania at the London Book Fair

Our series of events organised in connection with Romania’s participation at the London Book Fair 2024 conclude at the Barbican Library with SWORDS. This is a vivid Bucharest spoken word initiative, curated by Cosmin Perța and Iulian Morar. The event brings together musicians, poets, actors, multimedia artists and performers, in spoken word sessions. Cosmin Perța and Iulian Morar will present Love & War, accompanied by performances by Elena Vlădăreanu, Florentin Popa and Mădălina Căuneac.

“Spoken word is (not) poetry. Spoken word is (not) theatre. Spoken word is (not) music. Spoken word is sound, image and message. Spoken word is vibration. It's communion. It's symbiosis, it's drama and comedy, it's monologue and it's dialogue. Spoken word is emotion. It's earworm. It's performance. It's symmetry. It's rhyme and rhythm. Spoken word is not political and it is not politics. It's social justice and anxiety. It's mindfulness and self-exploration. It's the voice that stays with you when you are alone in the room. “ (Cosmin Perța)

Romania’s 14th participation at the London Book Fair (LBF) celebrates generations of astonishing writers, who offer strong, original voices and well-crafted language through their awarded books. 35 years since the Romanian Revolution, we celebrate freedom in all its creative forms, with a focus on Romania's literary scene.

Join us for a rich programme that unfolds at our stand at Olympia Exhibition Centre as well as at the Romanian Cultural Institute, Barbican Library and Conway Hall. Four packed days of book launches, dialogues and spoken word performances that will give you a flavour of our effervescent contemporary literature.

Our brilliant guests are writers and academics: Mădălina Căuneac, Liliana Corobca, Hannah Dawson, Paula Erizanu, Suzannah Lipscomb, Cosmin Perța, Florentin Popa, Alina Purcaru, Maria Stadnicka, Matei Vișniec, Elena Vlădăreanu. Authors, journalists and critics Marius Chivu and Bogdan Crețu, editors Eli Bădică, Alex Ciorogar and Susan Curtis; artist Iulian Morar; as well as translator Gabi Reigh, and cultural manager Milena Deleva complete our line-up.

The Romanian participation at the LBF 2024 is organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute's National Book Centre and the Romanian Cultural Institute in London, with the support of the Romanian Embassy, Conway Hall, Barbican Library, the Romanian Publishers Association and the Ministry of Culture. The project is funded by the Romanian Cultural Institute.