Parallels
My Heart's in the Highlands
A festival built on the idea that two cultures, read side by side, tell a fuller story.
The Parallels International Literature Festival welcomes writers, poets, translators, and festival curators from across the globe to uncover the unexpected and often unseen parallels between cultures, literatures, and languages. Rather than presenting each literary tradition as an isolated cultural phenomenon, the festival seeks to spark dialogue that emphasizes what binds us together, shifting the focus from differences to shared human experiences.
Through readings, discussions, and professional interactions, Parallels explores convergences and divergences in literary histories, infrastructures, and narratives, sharing experiences and adapting best practices.
Why Parallels
Parallels—a comparison to show resemblance, as described in Merriam-Webster Dictionary—aptly captures the festival’s essence.
Side-by-side trajectories
In the spirit of its title, “Parallels” emphasizes side-by-side trajectories rather than hierarchical models of exchange.
Intersections and divergences
Parallel lines may never meet in geometry, yet in cultural dialogue they provoke questions: where do literatures converge, and where do they diverge?