In 1997, the city council of Frankfurt followed the suggestion of Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the then city councillor for multicultural affairs, to join the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN).
In 1998, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Frankfurter Buchmesse, the board of directors of the Book Fair decided to support the programme in order to underscore the fair’s commitment to freedom of speech.
Frankfurter Buchmesse and the Cultural Office of Frankfurt assigned the Society for the Promotion of African, Asian and Latin American Literature e.V. (now Litprom e.V.) to manage the programme. Frankfurter Buchmesse pays the resident’s monthly grant of 1,000 euros, while the city of Frankfurt provides accommodation and covers health insurance. PEN International recommends authors for a grant as part of the Cities of Refuge programme.
The Russian poet Angelina Polonskaya was offered refuge in Frankfurt until 2017, and is now the recipient of a new grant in Weimar.
The Turkish journalist and writer Aslı Erdoğan has been Frankfurt’s guest since September 2017.
To find out more about the network, please visit the ICORN website.
Anita Djafari
Tel. 069/2102-113
E-Mail: djafari@buchmesse.de