During four evenings and one day, the centre of Brussels was filled with literature and imagination. Inspirational encounters, readings and debates including writers and thinkers from all over the world. This fourth edition of the festival, with its central theme Imagine!, was organised with the support and collaboration of dozens of partners.
Revisit edition 2013
Have a look at our photo's, view the recordings, or read some of the author's texts.
festival passa porta day 1
The Algerian author Boualem Sansal will open the festival with an appeal for a more imaginative society and the need to dream. Sansal is one of the Arab world’s most important writers. After the reading Nele Hendrickx will talk to the author.
passa porta festival day 2
The Algerian Boualem Sansal and the Chinese Liao Yiwu are both world-class authors and peace-campaigners. Both have won the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. They will discuss the joint role politicians and writers can play in the name of peace and democracy. Hosted by Catherine Vuylsteke.
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passa porta festival day 3
Arab Spring, Arab awakening or Arab revolution? In the name of human dignity and freedom, resistance movements in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya brought down their countries’ dictators. Khaled Khalifa, Khaled Al Khamissi, Raja Ben Slama, Ibrahim Al-Koni and Boualem Sansal read and talk about their convictions. Hosted by the journalist Béatrice Delvaux and the Moroccan author Mohammed Berrada.
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passa porta festival day 4
World-famous authors from home and abroad will present their best short stories during the course of this extraordinary evening devoted entirely to the storytelling. The evening will take the form of an imaginary journey to a whole range of strange as well as recognizable places guided by a diversity of characters. With Lydia Davis, Arnon Grunberg, Anne Enright, Gerard Donovan, Kristien Hemmerechts, Pierre Mertens, Tahar Ben Jelloun and Enrique Vila Matas.
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passa porta festival day 5
A day-long celebration for literature aficionados, with numerous readings throughout the centre of Brussels. The international guests include among others: Julian Barnes, Alain Badiou, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Laurent Binet, A.S. Byatt, Karl Ove Knausgård, Cees Nooteboom and Adam Zagajewski.
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