Readings and panel discussions generally serve as excuses to go see our favorite writers in person. By contrast, the great virtue of the PEN World Voices Festival is the range of discoveries it affords. Now in its fifth year, the festival brings writers from all over the globe to Manhattan for a series of mostly free and brilliantly curated events. Without the PEN festival, I wouldn’t have gotten to know and admire the work of writers including Péter Esterházy, Alain Mabanckou, Tatyana Tolstaya, and Horacio Castellanos Moya.That said, plotting a path through the packed schedule gets a little more difficult each year. Fiendish counter-programming, the imperative to avoid cover charges, and the difficulty of traveling, say 55 city blocks in under 10 minutes in the rain (true story) require that festival-goers muster some strategy. If you’re going to be in New York between April 29 and May 3 (for, say, The Millions’ Walking Tour of Independent Bookstores) I can offer you the following tips for navigating PEN World Voices: Town Hall = long; Joe’s Pub = fun; Austrian Cultural Forum = cramped; NYRB = expensive.Perhaps more productively, here are some highlights from this year’s schedule, free unless otherwise noted:April 29Anagrama: Celebrating 40 Years of Independent Publishing in Spainwith Francisco Goldman, A.M. Homes, Siri Hustvedt, Daniel Sada, and Enrique Vila-Matas; moderated by Jorge Herralde6-7:30 p.m., Instituto Cervantes New York, 211-215 East 49th StreetApril 30Tendencies in Spanish Language Literaturewith Bernardo Atxaga, Javier Calvo, Santiago Roncagliolo, and Enrique Vila-Matas; moderated by Barbara Epler4 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Instituto Cervantes New York, 211-215 East 49th StreetLanguage in New Forms: The Work of Andrey Platonovwith T.J. Clark, Wendy Lesser, Michael Ondaatje, and Francine Prose6-7:30 p.m., Elebash Recital Hall, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth AvenueKafka in Americawith Louis Begley, Norbert Gstrein, Mark Harman, Lynne Tillman, and Colm Tóibín; moderated by Jonathan Taylor6:30-8 p.m., Austrian Cultural Forum, 11 East 52nd Street (reservations required)The New York Review of Books: The Economic Crisis and How to Deal With Itwith Senator Bill Bradley, Niall Ferguson, Paul Krugman, Nouriel Roubini, George Soros, and Robin Wells; moderated by Jeff Madrick and introduced by Robert Silvers7:30 p.m., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Avenue; enter for the event at Fifth Avenue and 83rd Street ($25/$20 PEN members/Metropolitan Museum of Art members and New York Review of Books subscribers)DEFIANCE: The Spirit of ’89with Eszter Babarczy, Jose Dalisay, Nick Flynn, Sergio Ramírez, Hwang Sok-Yong, János Térey, and Paul Verhaeghen9 p.m., Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette Street ($15/$10 PEN & ACLU members)May 1Left/Right Literature: The Politics of Taking Up the Penwith Nadeem Aslam, Norbert Gstrein, Mariken Jongman, Khet Mar, and Domenico Starnone1-2:30 p.m., Scandinavia House, 58 Park AvenueThe Language of Fear: A PEN Journal Eventwith Guillermo Fadanelli, Wayne Koestenbaum, Colum McCann, Kathrin Röggla, and Anya Ulinich; moderated by Jeffrey Lependorf6-7:30 p.m., Elebash Recital Hall, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth AvenueFour/Négywith Eszter Babarczy, Zsófia Bán, László Garaczi, and János Térey6:30-7:30 p.m., Deutsches Haus, 42 Washington MewsArmin Petras: We Are Camera7:30 p.m., Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth AvenueMay 2Mark Z. Danielewski and Rick Moody in Conversation1-2 p.m., The French Institute, Alliance Française: Florence Gould Hall: 55 East 59th StreetWhere Truth Lies: A Conversation on the Art of Fictionwith Marlon James, Jan Kjærstad, Horacio Castellanos Moya, and Roxana Robinson; moderated by Noreen Tomassi1 p.m., location TBAWriters Who Are Translatorswith Brian Evenson, Forrest Gander, Cole Swensen, and Paul Verhaeghen; moderated by Martin Riker3 p.m., FIAF, Tinker Auditorium, 55 East 59th StreetConversation: Pétér Nádas and Daniel Mendelsohn3-4 p.m., Elebash Recital Hall, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth AvenueThe PEN Cabaretwith Laurie Anderson, Carrie Brownstein, Horacio Castellanos Moya, Steve Connell, David Conrad, Mark Z. Danielewski, James Franco, Peter Hirsch, Nick Laird, Walter Mosley, Parker Posey, Lou Reed, Sekou, and Sean Wilsey7:30 p.m., FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street ($30/$25 FIAF/PEN members/students)May 3The Pan-European Picnic Redux1 p.m., venue TBAFaith & Fictionwith Nadeem Aslam, Brian Evenson, Jan Kjærstad, and Rick Moody; moderated by Albert Mobilio1 p.m., powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, BrooklynConversation: Richard Ford and Nam Le2-3 p.m., The Morgan Library & Museum, Gilder Lehrman Hall, 225 Madison Avenue
The troubador–another aspect of life that technology will eventually disappear.
Can you imagine someone growing up with technology at their fingertips, wired from birth, being able to adapt like JR, as described? I especially appreciate the diva storming off phrase.
Actually, I wonder when live music itself will become a relic, and a museum piece.
I can only add the show left me feeling "full of joy, optimism, wonder and romance". bravo!