Making Literature Travel

Ulysses’ Shelter is a cooperation project co-funded by the European Union aiming to build a network of exchange literary residencies across Europe designed for emerging writers and literary translators. Launched in 2016 with three partners, it now includes eight countries: Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain (Mallorca) and Wales, UK.

The project is led by the Zagreb-based Croatian publisher and literary agency Sandorf, and the project logo – a donkey carrying a book – refers to the ‘traditional means of transport’ on the tiny Croatian island of Mljet where the project was originally launched,  and where, according to legend, shipwrecked Ulysses found shelter.

In Wales it is managed by Literature Across Frontiers and the other partners are Culture Reset in Prague, Czech Republic, Thraka in Larissa, Greece, Inizjamed in Valetta, Malta, Krokodil in Belgrade, Serbia and the Slovene Writers Association in Ljubjana, Slovenia, and the Mallorca Film Commission, Spain.

The project provides an invaluable opportunity for emerging  writers and translators to work, perform and present themselves in different social and cultural contexts in the partners’ countries. The residencies can bring new opportunities and possibilities to establish contact with other authors, translators, editors, publishers and/or representatives of various literary organisations.  The residencies are accompanied by a supporting programme of activities and events aimed at specific local target groups.

Details of activities of the previous Ulysses’ Shelter programme (2019 – 2022) can be found here

Ruqaya Izzidien and Esyllt Angharad Lewis were the Welsh writers travelling to visit Malta in 2023. Our EU-based sister organisation  Culture Reset selected poet and novelist Marek Torčík to join us in Caernarfon, Wales and poet Jan Škrob  to travel to the Croatian island of Mljet. The second writer who will be coming to Wales is Ajda Bračič selected by the Slovene Writers Association. We welcomed translator, photographer and poet Virginia Monteforte from Malta and children’s writer Kristina Nesvedová from the Czech Republic in Wales during May 2024, and the last residency in the current cycle will be held in spring 2025. Novelist and writer for young readers Megan Angharad Hunter and scriptwriter Rebecca Wilson were the applicants form Wales selected for 2024 residencies in Ljubljana and Mallorca respectively.