Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin (ilb)

One of the World's Most Significant Literary Festivals

As the days grow shorter in September, Berlin transforms into the world capital of literature for ten days. The Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin — ilb for short — has been the meeting point for writers from all continents and for a literature-loving audience discovering new voices and reconnecting with established ones since 2001.

Four Venues, One City

The festival center is located at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele on Schaperstraße in Wilmersdorf. But the ilb takes place all over the city: in the historic Babylon on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, the legendary Buchhändlerkeller in Charlottenburg, the Literaturhaus Berlin on Fasanenstraße, and occasionally at the Humboldt Forum. For its 26th edition in 2026, over 200 authors from more than 40 countries are announced — a cross-section of contemporary world literature that is second to none.

What to Expect

• Novel premieres and workshop discussions with international bestselling authors
• Poetry Night featuring poetry from twenty languages, often accompanied by music
• Graphic Novel Day for comic literature and visual storytelling
• Curator in Residence: A prominent author curates their own program lines (2026 Jeet Thayil, 2025 Cristina Rivera Garza)
• Patronage changes annually (2026 Boualem Sansal)
• Political debates, philosophical lectures, translator talks
• Junges ilb: parallel program for schools and young people, often running a week longer
• Festival parties and long nights

Berlin as a Literary Resonance Chamber

Since reunification, Berlin has been the German-speaking literary metropolis — publishing houses, artist residencies, bookstores, and an exceptionally curious audience make the ilb more than just a reading festival. Within the state of Berlin, Eastern European, Mediterranean, Asian, and African literature combine to create a polyphony that can be experienced so densely in no other German city. The festival is supported by the Peter Weiss Foundation for Art and Politics.

Who Should Attend the ilb?

If books move you — and you want to listen to a Congolese poet or a Chilean novelist in a hall with thousands of listeners without missing out on translation (all events are bilingual German-original) — this festival is a must-attend. Even those who simply enjoy the atmosphere in the foyer of the Haus der Berliner Festspiele between readings will get their money's worth.