Press releases

Here we go! Advance sales for the most beautiful literature festival in Switzerland are now open.

15. April 2024

Dear literature enthusiasts and festival fans,

The twelfth edition of the Zurich Literature Festival is just around the corner: experience a week full of captivating readings, inspiring talks and unforgettable moments with the biggest stars of the literary scene. Thanks to the unique setting in the abundant nature of the Old Botanical Garden, our festival is considered one of the most beautiful in the world, presented jointly by Kaufleuten and the Literaturhaus Zürich. The performing authors agree: there is no more magical place to immerse yourself in the fascinating world of words.

We have chosen diverse and highly topical themes for this year's program. They range from the breaking points in our personal biographies to the major social upheavals of our time:

  • Zadie Smith, the British star author deals in her historical novel The Fraud with imposture and fake news – the current reference to Donald Trump is intentional.
  • Saša Stanišić, the winner of the German Book Prize, reflects on life's crossroads. The short and snappy title of his new book is: If the widow wants to be addressed, she places the watering can on the grave with the spout facing forward.
  • Sigrid Nunez, the American bestselling author deals In her latest novel The Vulnerables with ageing and the generation gap.
  • Hua Hsu, The US Pulitzer Prize winner is coming to Zurich for the first time with his award-winning autobiographical novel Stay True – a moving story about childhood friendships and the search for identity.
  • Connie Palmen, the successful Dutch author explores in her book Above All Women the secrets of success of famous women from Marilyn Monroe to Virginia Woolf.
  • How is artificial intelligence changing our world?
    - Communication scientist Miriam Meckel and social scientist and entrepreneur Léa Steinacker discuss the opportunities and risks of AI with philosopher Barbara Bleisch.


The crowning glory of the festival is our rousing variety show Words on Stage with the best artists from the Swiss spoken word scene. This time, Olivia El Sayed, Dominik Muheim, Lorenz Häberli & Luc Oggier (aka Lo & Leduc) and Leila Ladari will be taking part.

With so many superlatives, it's no wonder that the festival's events sell out quickly – so reserve your tickets today! Fortunately, most of the events can also be attended online: Tickets for our high-quality livestreams are available on the festival website.

We're really looking forward to welcoming our top-class guests - and you, of course!