CITIES OF LITERATURE

Exeter has an unbroken literary history dating back to the 10th century. The Exeter Book, an Anglo-Saxon anthology of poetry and riddles, is the largest known collection of Old English literature still in existence. In 2016, UNESCO recognised the book as one of the world's principal cultural artefacts. It lives in Exeter Cathedral and has recently been digitised.

 

The region has inspired writers for centuries. Charles Dickens, Sabine Baring-Gould, Agatha Christie, Micheal Morpurgo, JK Rowling, Philip Reeve, and Hilary Mantel, among many others, have all lived, worked, studied, and written in and around Exeter.

 

This small city has a rich literary scene that continues to grow. Exeter is lucky enough to have the Devon & Exeter Institution, an independent library that boasts the earliest known professional woman librarian; Bookbag, an independent bookshop that curates diverse books and live events; Exeter Library, one of the busiest libraries in Great Britain in terms of visits and issues; Spork!, a spoken-word poetry organisation; Quay Words, a live literature programme part of Literature Works, the south west's writing development agency; Africa Writes Exeter, which showcases established and emerging talent from the African continent and its diaspora; many incredible authors such as Karla Neblett, Jock, Ellen Wiles, Nia Gould, Tom McLaughlin, and Sarah Pearse; and much more!

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COLLABORATION WITH OTHER CITIES

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To celebrate Luke Jerrarm's Gaia exhibition at Exeter Cathedral in February 2023, Exeter City of Literature published The Gaia Papers, a selection of original writing from five local writers from across Devon and four writers from other UNESCO Cities of Literature: Melbourne, Nottingham, Heidelberg, and Leeuwarden. The digital version can be read here.
 

Exeter City of Literature hosts a yearly residency collaboration with Barcelona UNESCO City of Literature. In this exciting exchange, both Cities of Literature send a published author to their respective cities for three weeks of writing, events, and activities. This exchange gives authors the chance to hone and dedicate time to writing; whilst also introducing Exeter audiences to Catalan literature, and Catalan audiences to writing from Exeter.

 

In 2024, Exeter and Jakarta collaborated on Bridging Cities, a multi-stage commission of local artists and writers to create new work that examines the disproportionate impacts of climate change on the Global South and how to improve conversations around the intersection of climate change and diversity & inclusion.

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BOOK FESTIVALS

 

Exeter City of Literature established the region's first Book Market in 2021 and it has now become an annual event. The Book Market brings together over ten independent bookshops from across South Devon each year to support local businesses and give people the opportunity to learn about bookshops they might not otherwise have come across. Bookshops report strong sales at each market and we provide additional activities for the bookstagram community, artists, and local food vendors.

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