Living Libraries
This unique method has the aim of breaking prejudices and promoting dialogue between people who normally wouldn’t have the chance to interact with one another in their everyday settings. A Living Library is made up of ‘books’ who are individuals waiting to be ‘read’ by other individuals. Books can be about a variety of topics and the titles of the books are usually provocative, prompting the reader to think twice about the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. Given the transnational context of the Festival, to the mix of readers and books we add ‘dictionaries’ allowing for books from different countries to travel to other cities of the Festival and to be read by their audience despite language barriers.
The Living Library format is a key Festival activity, presented as an informal action which allows for profound interaction and encourages readers to explore their books, and as a consequence, to learn more about their own prejudices and limitations. Through Living Libraries the Festival explores sensitive subjects, ensuring the personification of these issues, and through this showing the readers the way these topics are translated into the lives of other individuals.
All events are free and open to everybody.
