As the Lahti International Writers’ Reunion was launched fifty-six years ago, it immediately grasped the essential.
Its theme was “The Writer and Prejudice “. Under the loop was society, the international situation, as well as the writer. The same multi-faceted inspection has continued ever since, and the Reunion has grown into a unique institution, a literary writers’ biennale that the general public can come to see and hear for free. It’s a part of the great international network of literature for exchanging experiences, views and opinions. It is a platform for the East and the West, the North and the South, and different lines of thought to meet on equal terms. Writing as such does not free anyone from prejudice, but by barricading oneself only amongst one’s own and closing the doors from otherness one can efficiently secure having more prejudices. The more we have conflicts between countries and interest groups, the more important it is for writers to meet each other, because it is their job to feed people’s imaginations, and to give a soundboard for understanding and appreciating nuances. By looking into the mirror together, they can do much not only for themselves, but also for their respective nations and their co-operation.
This is what the Lahti International Writers’ Reunion (LIWRE) is for.
The preparations for the 2019 Reunion are already under way, and the first outward appearance is our new website. You are well advised to follow it regularly, as we publish both news of the upcoming event, and interesting blogs by writers far and wide. The first one will be by the Estonian author Andrei Ivanov, who participated in LIWRE 2017.
We can now also confirm that the next event will be at the impressive Art Nouveau setting of Lahti Folk High School, the same place where it was in 2017. The venue in the middle of the city turned out to be great for both the writers and the public, and negotiations with the new owners of the building are nearing completion. We’ll meet again a week before midsummer in 2019. Stay tuned!
Juhani Lindholm
Event Manager
Lahti International Writers’ Reunion (LIWRE)