In 2017, Days of Poetry and Wine, one of the most prominent Central European poetry festivals, launched the Open Letter to Europe project in collaboration with Berlin-based Allianz Kulturstiftung. The letters from the project are addressed to Europe, or, perhaps, to the whole world, and aim to bring the language of art, thought-out, precise and rigorous, back to public discourse. Each year, the art director of the festival, with their team and in collaboration with Allianz Kulturstiftung, selects a preeminent poet or thinker and gives them the unique opportunity of addressing Europe and presenting the problems they consider the most pressing.
The first Open Letter to Europe was written by Flemish author Stefan Hertmans in 2017, and the second one by Iranian-born Swedish poet Athena Farrokhzad. Both Letters were received very well and discussed by political decision-makers as well as the general European public and was translated and published in more than 10 languages.
This year, the Open Letter to Europe ito be authored by Bulgarian-born German cosmopolitan, writer, translator and performer Ilija Trojanow.