The Algerian-French writer Boualem Sansal will serve as patron of the 26th International Literature Festival Berlin (ILB). In Sansal, the festival gains an outstanding literary voice of international significance. As recipient of the Friedenspreises des Deutschen Buchhandels (Peace Prize of the German Book Trade) in 2011, Sansal stands for freedom of expression and for a literature that assumes social and political responsibility.
Sansal, who has already been a guest of the ILB six times, is among the most distinctive voices in contemporary literature, known for his intellectual fearlessness, literary precision, and courage to intervene. Internationally, he has shaped debates on democracy, memory, and responsibility for many years.
In 2024, Sansal was arrested upon entering his home country of Algeria due to his critical stance toward political and religious developments there, as well as his statements on the Western Sahara issue and was sentenced to five years in prison. Numerous international voices from the cultural and political spheres called for his release. After German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also advocated on his behalf, Boualem Sansal was pardoned in November 2025 and flown to Germany.
»Boualem Sansal, a writer who, through powerful novels and provocative texts, with dark humor and poetic lightness, not only makes the reality of his home country Algeria visible, but also takes a stand: for freedom, for enlightenment, against extremism and the restriction of democratic rights. A voice of exceptional clarity and international significance.«
Barbara Wahlster, Chair of the Board of the Peter-Weiss-Stiftung für Kunst und Politik e.V., supporting organization of the International Literature Festival Berlin
At the opening of the festival on September 3, 2026, Boualem Sansal will deliver welcoming remarks at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. In addition, a dedicated event will be held in which he will speak about his literary work and his personal convictions. He will also participate in further events.
»I am very pleased that we have been able to appoint Boualem Sansal as patron of the 26th International Literature Festival Berlin. For the first time in the festival’s history, a writer is taking on this role. Boualem Sansal combines literary power with a keen awareness of contemporary society. With his unmistakable voice, he stands for what defines this festival: outstanding international contemporary literature and the freedom of expression in the city of freedom.«
Lavinia Frey, Director of the International Literature Festival Berlin
Photo Boualem Sansal ©Dirk Skiba