Literary Map launches in Iași next week

The Literary Map (Harta Literarǎ) platform will launch in Iași, eastern Romania, on September 4 with a public discussion about how literature can change perceptions of the city. The program will continue on September 5 with a literary walking tour led by Iași-based writer and screenwriter Florin Lăzărescu.

The launch event will begin at 7 p.m. at Acaju Cafe and will feature Lăzărescu, Alecart representative Emil Munteanu, and translator and literary researcher Gabriela Vieru. Cultural journalist and translator Mircea Laslo will moderate the discussion.

Then, on September 5, starting at 11 a.m., Florin Lăzărescu will lead a roughly two-hour tour titled Something Happened to Me Around Here. The route will not be determined in advance but will develop through stories, memories, and contributions from participants.

“We are not visiting monuments or checking off tourist attractions. At most, we will pass by them,” Lăzărescu said. “We walk through Iași driven by stories, apparently heading nowhere. But stories always lead somewhere.”

Participation in the tour is free, but advance registration is required because places are limited. The starting point will be communicated to registered participants.

The Literary Map is an interactive digital platform documenting places featured in books, sites connected to literary history, and locations such as bookstores, libraries, and cafes. After launching in Bucharest and expanding to Brașov and Timișoara, the project is now adding Iași to its network of Romanian literary cities.

The Bucharest section currently includes more than 500 documented locations and over 1,500 connections to literary works and moments from the history of Romanian literature. The platform is available here.

(Photo source: press release)