The UNESCO's City of Literature programme is a part of the wider Creative 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.
The Network 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, and Music.
Criteria To be approved as a City of Literature, cities need to meet a number of criteria set by UNESCO.
Designated UNESCO Cities of Literature share similar characteristics: Quality, quantity, and diversity of publishing in the city Quality and quantity of educational programmes focusing on domestic or foreign literature at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels Literature, drama, and/or poetry playing an important role in the city Hosting literary events and festivals, which promote domestic and foreign literature Existence of libraries, bookstores, and public or private cultural centres, which preserve, promote, and disseminate domestic and foreign literature Involvement by the publishing sector in translating literary works from diverse national languages and foreign literature Active involvement of traditional and new media in promoting literature and strengthening the market for literary products
Cities submit bids to UNESCO to be designated a City of Literature. The designations are monitored and reviewed every four years by UNESCO.
About the cities
In October 2004, Edinburgh was named the first UNESCO literary city. This followed a presentation made at Unseco's office in Paris, where Edinburgh's poet laureate Stewart Conn read a poem written for the occasion. As well as having its own poet laureate — the Makar, the city hosts the annual International Book Festival. The city was expected to be given accreditation in April 2005.
Ljubljana runs their Library Under the Treetops at various locations across the city, including Tivoli City Park and Zvezda Park. These sites offer a selection of book genres and several domestic and foreign newspapers and magazines.
Manchester is home to the "world-class" Central Library and the "historic gems" of The Portico, John Rylands, and Chetham's.
Melbourne's home to Australia's oldest public library, the State 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 significant intellectual and creative resources include: the book design, illustration, typography, and graphic design fields. It also has the National Library of the Czech Republic, as well as over 200 libraries, which is considered one of Europe's highest concentrations of bookshops, and the Prague Writers' Festival.
The Welsh town of Aberystwyth (together with the surrounding county of Ceredigion) was named City of Literature in October 2022, despite not being a 'city'. As well as having a strong tradition of festivals and poetry, Aberystwyth is also the home of the National Library of Wales and several other literary centres.
Cities of Literature
11 countries have multiple Cities of Literature; 10 of them have two, while the United Kingdom has six. (One, Aberystwyth being a town).
Members of the Creative Cities Network are: City Country Year of inscription Aberystwyth 2025 Abuja 2025 Angoulême 2019 Baghdad 2015 Barcelona 2015 Beirut 2019Bremen2023 Bucheon 2017 Buffalo City 2023 Celje 2025 Conakry 2025 Dublin 2010 Dumaguete 2025 Dunedin 2014 Durban 2017 Edinburgh 2004 Exeter 2019 Gdańsk 2025 Gothenburg 2021 Granada 2014 Heidelberg 2014Hobart2023Iași2023 Iowa City 2008 Jakarta 2021 Kahramanmaraş 2025Kozhikode2023 Kraków 2013 Kuhmo 2019Kutaisi2023 Lahore 2019 Leeuwarden 2019 Lillehammer 2017 Ljubljana 2015 Lund 2025 Lviv 2015 Lyon 2023 Manchester 2017 Melbourne 2008 Milan 2017 Montevideo 2015 Nanjing 2019 Norwich 2012 Nottingham 2015 Óbidos 2015 Odesa 2019Okayama2023 Prague 2014 Québec City 2017 Reykjavík 2011Rio de Janeiro2023 San Luis Potosí 2025 Seattle 2017 Sulaymaniyah 2019Taif2023 Tangier 2025 Tartu 2015Tukums2023 Ulyanovsk 2015 Utrecht 2017 Vilnius 2021 Wonju 2019 Wrocław 2019
See also Creative Cities Network City of Crafts and Folk Arts City of Music City of Film Design Cities City of Gastronomy City of Media Arts
References
External links UNESCO Cities of Literature Website Creative Cities Map, UNESCO