This year's International Literature Festival takes place from 15th to 25th of September in the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. It is the 10th anniversary of the festival.
The emphasis of this year is "Eastern Europe." however, when I read the program brochure of the festival, I found that one Chinese poet was included in the program. I didn't understand how a Chinese writer can be involved in the eastern European literature, so I decided to visit his session.
Since I am from Taiwan and not from China, I don't know the writer or his work. After googling about him, I realize that he has been quite famous in the European literal circle.
Liao Yi-Wu, a Chinese writer, poet and musician who has been denied permission by Chinese authorities to leave the country for years, wrote a letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel seeking intervention. The German government's persistence has finally paid off, and Liao has become an honored guest at Berlin's International Literary Festival.
In his session Liao played music and sang, and two German gentlemen, one author and one actor, read his poems and proses. His provocative poems landed him in jail for four year, and his proses records and chronicles the lives of people living at the bottom of society.
The sound of the Xiao, a flute-like instrument that Liao had learned to play while in prison, was full of philosophical sadness. Despite of his 52 of age, Liao's music sounded like a song played by a 90 year-old, full of life experiences. It's really special for me to witness a Chinese writer being honored in a German literal festival.
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