Press releases

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World-Class Literary Stars in a Magical Natural Setting

21 April 2026


Dear Literature Enthusiasts and Festival Fans,

when some of the finest voices in literature meet one of the most beautiful natural settings, we know: the best time of summer has begun. The Zurich Literature Festival is just around the corner.

From July 6 to 12, 2026, the Old Botanical Garden will once again become a stage for great literature. A week of immediate impact – and lasting resonance.

As dusk settles in, the air stays warm and the first lines are spoken, a moment unfolds that many describe as magical: trees, shadows and stage merge, nature and literature become one. Perception sharpens, thoughts grow clear. In the warm evening air, words and images linger – resonating long after they are spoken. Unique. Relevant. Electric. Simply put: you have to experience it!

Look forward to readings from the year’s most exciting books and to captivating encounters with some of the most important voices of our time – engaging with topics that truly move us:

  • Cornelia Funke: She is one of the world’s most successful authors of children’s and young adult literature: with works such as Inkheart, Dragon Rider, The Wild Chicks, and The Thief Lord, Cornelia Funke has inspired generations and millions of readers. At the festival, she speaks with Nicola Steiner about the power of imagination – and whether it can help change the world for the better. It would be much needed.
  • Claire Keegan: The international bestselling author and grandmaster of the short form: every detail matters. Not a word too many. She writes with unmatched precision about what happens between people – and where they fail.
  • Georgi Gospodinov: The Bulgarian author and International Booker Prizewinner is among the most important European writers of our time. In his new novel Death and the Gardener,he explores loss and transience in a deeply moving way. Over 30 literary critics agreed: "The book of the year".
  • Liv Strömquist: The most influential feminist comic book artist of our time. With biting humour, sharp analysis and expressive drawings, she dissects the spirit of the age – this time with The Oracle Speaks: the ever-present drive for self-optimisation.
  • David Szalay: The current Booker Prize winner tells, in Flesh, a story of masculinity, power and social mobility with striking stylistic brilliance – a powerful portrait of our present. The novel everyone is talking about. Gripping, precise, unsettling. And impossible to put down.
  • Maria Alyokhina & Milo Rau: Activist and Pussy Riot artist Maria Alyokhina, who spent two years in prison for her resistance against the Russian regime, meets internationally acclaimed theatre director Milo Rau. An explosive conversation about the political force of art – and the price one must be willing to pay when challenging the system.
  • Sibylle Berg: Unmistakable in tone, pitch-black in humour, relentless in her social critique. The iconic author and Swiss Book Prize winner casts her razor-sharp vision into the near future in her new novel. Will tomorrow be any better?
  • Words on Stage: For the grand finale: our electrifying variety evening featuring the crème de la crème of the German-language spoken word scene. With Bänz Friedli, Uta Köbernick, Jean-Philippe Kindler, Valerio Moserand Die Eltern. Fast, sharp, to the point – and very, very funny.

We are incredibly excited about our outstanding guests — and, of course, about you!

Your Zurich Literature Festival,
Presented by Kaufleuten & Literaturhaus Zürich