From BZ/dpa
The director of the Berlin International Literature Festival, Ulrich Schreiber, is resigning from his post.
He will resign on March 31, it said in a statement on Monday. The Senate Cultural Administration and writers confirmed the information. He founded the literature festival more than two decades ago. The festival brings authors to the capital for readings and discussions every year.
“I’ve done this for 22 years now,” said Schreiber of the dpa. He also prepared the 23rd edition to a large extent. “At some point, I think it’ll be good too.” He now has a little more time to read and for other projects.
The festival has been around since 2001. Since then, well-known writers have been guests, such as Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Salman Rushdie and Mario Vargas Llosa. The next edition is planned for September.
The Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie (left) and festival director Ulrich Schreiber at the 13th Literature Festival Photo: picture alliance / Eventpress Hoensch | Event Press Hoensch
Last year there had been discussions about the working atmosphere and management style, the “taz” reported on this. At that time, for example, Schreiber rejected allegations in the “Berliner Zeitung” and also admitted to mistakes. “I have raised my word from time to time,” he said on Monday.
However, threats of dismissal were “by no means the order of the day”. “The working atmosphere has definitely improved.” They also paid attention to the workload. His current decision has nothing to do with the discussion, but he has been thinking about it for a few years.
In the message he thanked the authors and employees. He remains connected to the festival. Schreiber was quoted as saying that he is pleased to be able to continue supporting it with the sponsoring association in the funding period up to 2025. The festival is supported and publicly funded by the Peter Weiss Foundation for Art and Politics. The board of the foundation will decide on his successor, said Schreiber, who belongs to the association.
The 71-year-old also said the festival’s program team is well positioned. In the message he recalled his early days. “Since my question at the Erlangen Poets Festival in August 1998, ‘Why isn’t there actually a literature festival in Berlin?’ It was a great pleasure and honor for me to pursue the idea of this project with friends, to implement it with the employees and volunteers and to fill it with life over the years through programmatic emphasis,” it said.