The Vilenica International Literary Festival, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, takes place at a time when the question of coexistence is once again gaining a central role in human discussions. The world we once knew has undergone radical transformations over the past few decades: transitions between stability and chaos, inclusion and exclusion, have become the hallmarks of our time. Geopolitical crises are only part of a broader picture of the breakdown of the old order, as climate catastrophes transcend national borders and impact all generations, while technology simultaneously fosters new connections and deepens divides among people. What was once considered immutable—rules of coexistence, shared values of truth, and the universality of human rights—now increasingly eludes our collective consensus.
Beyond the aesthetic value that remains a core characteristic of any good literature, literature continuously raises complex questions and offers a space for multilayered reflection. Literature does not provide simple answers—its purpose is to provoke thought, uncover hidden layers of reality, and illuminate the contradictions of the modern world. This year, Vilenica asks: can literary dialogue become a crucial bridge to overcome divisions—between cultures, nationalities, and ideologies? The motto “Brave New World – New Rules of Living” is not just a diagnosis of the present but an entry point for reflection: what alternatives exist to today’s living models, beyond the logic of fear and polarization? The new rules of living are not rigid commandments, economic plans, or algorithmic calculations for optimal living. They are open, fluid, and ever-changing principles, emerging through artistic imagination, stories, and verses that reveal deeper truths. Can literature itself foster a shift from binary oppositions toward a dialogue that enables a multifaceted understanding of the world? How do we shape a new sense of community in an era where differences—whether class, cultural, ethnic, or ideological—are deepening more than ever before? How do we define home when climate catastrophes are displacing millions of people? How do we preserve cultural identity without falling into nationalist traps?
Literature has the power to offer something that modern political discourse often cannot: the acknowledgment that uncertainty, contradiction, and doubt are necessary building blocks of any genuine consideration of the future. In a society where fake news, ideological polarization, and algorithmic manipulation create the illusion of solid truths, literature destabilizes this dominance. Writers and poets are not mere observers of the world but active co-creators of it, reminding us—especially in an age dominated by speed and superficiality—of the value of deep reflection, subtlety, and contemplation. Their stories, poems, and spoken or written words pierce through the fog of oversimplified populist narratives, bringing us back to the essence of humanism: that a human being is more than a product of economic systems or a negligible fragment within digital flows. Literature, as a space of empathy and understanding, does not view differences as obstacles but as opportunities for growth, dialogue, and transformation. The New Rules of Living proposed by Vilenica are therefore co-created, constantly deconstructed, and renewed, building not closed systems but open networks where often-silenced voices can speak—voices of marginalized communities, refugees, social minorities, and peripheral cultures. In this context, literature is not a passive reflection of changes but a driving force behind them, capable of envisioning alternatives that may still be unspeakable, inviting us to take intellectual risks: not to persist with the known but to dare to confront the uncertain. In a world trapped in binary divisions of “us” versus “them,” literature opens a third path—a path of dialogue, reflection, and questioning, where writers and poets, as visionaries of the future, dare to think differently.