PEN World Baltic Voices

I had to stop by again to do a little dance over the fact that the full line-up for the 2008 PEN World Voices Festival is up. The festival will take place in New York from April 29th – May 4th, and you know what? They finally got themselves a Latvian, theater director Alvis Hermanis, who has already won my heart with this statement (clip here):

I don't believe that art should improve the world. I would compare it as beating mosquitoes with a mobile phone. It's just a waste of time and energy. For example when you have a dog or cat at home, you are not discussing with them the last booklet you have read.

An honest-to-goodness Latvian.

Also participating, joy of joys, is Ingo Schulze, author of 33 Moments of Happiness: St. Petersburg Stories, which includes a story that's a personal favorite of mine involving tower blocks, fog, and a flock of birds.

Not to mention Umberto Eco, Steven Pinker, Aleksandar Hemon, John Wesley Harding, Ian McEwan, Peter Carey, and dozens of other reasons to take the entire week off work.

I can't hardly wait.

© Zan McQuade. All rights reserved.