Melbourne has joined Edinburgh as one of only two UNESCO Cities of Literature in the world.
Part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, UNESCO Cities of Literature must have:
- Quality, quantity and diversity of publishing and editorial initiatives
- Quality and quantity of educational programmes
- An urban environment in which literature plays an integral part
- Experience hosting literary events and festivals, promotion foreign and domestic texts
- Libraries, bookstores and cultural centre/s
- Made active effort to translate literary works from diverse languages
- Use of new media to promote and strengthen the literary market
UNESCO Cities of Literature work together to build strong global partnerships: encouraging literary exchanges, creating cross-cultural initiatives and developing local, national and international literary links. Each city is also dedicated to pursuing excellence in literature on a local level, engaging citizens in a dynamic culture of words.
For more information, see the Arts Victoria website.