31 Questions for the Literaturhaus Zürich

We have been in existence since:
1999

What we do in 3 words:
A stage for literature.

Our guiding principle is:
To shape the venue as an open, contemporary space for thought.

Our annual budget:
around CHF 900,000

We receive our funding from ...
... the City and Canton of Zurich, as well as from Zürcher Kantonalbank, various foundations and our visitors.

If we had an extra million a year, we would ...
... pay better fees, expand participatory formats, create two additional posts (programme and building services), optimise the premises and increase our visibility (advertising and the building’s public image).

We are at our most efficient ...
... in the morning after our second coffee.

We are at our least efficient ...
... in the office at 9 am in summer when it’s 30 degrees.

We primarily concern ourselves ...
... with the past.
... with the present. ✓
... with the future.

If we had to describe good literature in a single sentence, it would go like this:
A good story, well told.

We’d love to have this superstar, dead or alive, on our stage:
James Baldwin

Our programme ...
... follows a manifesto.
... adapts to global political events. ✓
... has a romantic touch. ✓
... is politically correct.
... is aimed exclusively at readers.
... moves as many different people as possible. ✓

Our events promote ...
... knowledge. ✓
... critical thinking. ✓
... spirituality.
... justice.
... irrationality.
... individualism.
... collectivism.
... peace.
... empathy. ✓

We open our doors to young authors if ...
... their book wins us over. ✓
... they have found a publisher. ✓
... they have been recommended to us.
... they have lots of followers on Instagram.
... they don’t use too many emojis in their writing.
... they apply for our Masterclass. ✓

An AI novel that sells well ...
... must be clearly labelled as such. ✓
... should not be banned. Readers are free to choose what they read.
... will remain a marginal phenomenon. People read people.

People are reading fewer and fewer books because ...
... they still think attention spans last for three Reels a day.
... reading takes time. ✓
... there are fewer and fewer bookshops.
... they prefer to read books digitally.
... they haven’t discovered the Literaturhaus yet. ✓

A persistent rumour surrounding our work goes like this:
The Literaturhaus is only for intellectuals.

The funniest complaint we’ve received recently:
Someone complained because the raw ham they’d brought along wasn’t allowed on the aperitif table.

Cultural life in Zurich has something you won’t find anywhere else in the world, and that would be...
... an extremely high concentration of cultural institutions and short distances between them.

For cultural life in Zurich, we wish for...
... vibrancy, diversity and a sense of ease.

If we didn’t exist, our audience would probably...
... go to Theater Winkelwiese.