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TheUNESCO'sCity of Literature programme is a part of the widerCreative Cities Network. The list consists of 53 cities across 6 continents that have played a significant role in the literary tradition of the host countries. Each city nominated to the list has generally met a set of criteria described by UNESCO, such as producing notable writers and authors, constructing important libraries and bookstores, hosting literature festivals and programmes, and publishing major literary works. The nominations are reviewed every four years.
TheNetwork was launched in 2004, and now has member cities in seven creative fields. The other creative fields are:Crafts and Folk Arts,Design,Film,Gastronomy,Media Arts, andMusic.[1]
To be approved as a City of Literature, cities need to meet a number of criteria set byUNESCO.[2]
Designated UNESCO Cities of Literature share similar characteristics:
Cities submit bids to UNESCO to be designated a City of Literature. The designations are monitored and reviewed every four years by UNESCO.
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In 2004,Edinburgh became the first literary city. It hosts the annualInternational Book Festival and has its ownpoet laureate—theMakar.[3][4]
Ljubljana runs theirLibrary Under the Treetops at various locations across the city, includingTivoli City Park andZvezda Park. These sites offer a selection of book genres and several domestic and foreign newspapers and magazines.[5]
Manchester is home to the "world-class"Central Library and the "historic gems" ofThe Portico,John Rylands, andChetham's.[6]
Melbourne's home to Australia's oldest public library, theState Library of Victoria; the Centre of Books, Writing and Ideas,The Wheeler Centre; and was home to the world's biggest book shop,Cole's Book Arcade, opened at the turn of the twentieth century.
Prague's "great intellectual and creative resources" includes thebook design,illustration,typography, andgraphic design fields. It also has theNational Library of the Czech Republic, as well as over 200 libraries, one of Europe's highest concentrations of bookshops, and thePrague Writers' Festival.[7]
Libraries in other literary cities includeBraidense National Library inMilan,Heidelberg University Library and theNational Library of Ireland inDublin.[8][9][10]
Dunedin is the "Edinburgh of the South", and home to New Zealand's oldest university.Durban is "fun-loving."[11][12]
11 countries have multiple Cities of Literature; 10 of them have two, while the United Kingdom has six.
The Cities of Literature are:
