In the aftermath of the biggest book event of the year, UK is again paying some attention to the written word. The London Book Fair was a true summit of international heavyweights from all over the world, with US author Rob Porter being names the Narrator of the Fair and Norwegian writer Jo Nesbo winning the prestigious Author of the Day title. The presence of those foreign titans raises an interesting question: how easy is it for today’s writers to cross-borders and attend literary festivals and fairs.
The answer depends primarily on the passport they carry and the location you want to visit. For some it could be as easy as going on a picnic, but for others the paths may be far less open.
How Can UK Writers Travel Abroad to Promote Their Work
United Kingdom enjoys a fairly privileged status when global travel is concerned. British scribes can travel visa-free to the United States at will although lately the regulations have been tightened, especially for business-related trips. They can also cross into any EU country and stay up to 3 months without a need to ask for official permission. Even in cases where a visa might be required, it’s typically just a formality when you present valid documents that have been confirmed by official UK apostille services and pay the fees. The relative ease of crossing borders is definitely one of the overlooked factors that helps the UK maintain its status as a great country for successful authors to live and work in. Still, those who keep a busy international schedule would be well-advised to check the requirements before traveling to a country for the first time.
How Easy Is It For US and EU-based Writers to Travel
The situation is mostly favourable in the rest of Europe, where residents have the ability to travel across the continent without crossing any visible borders. Visitors from across the ocean are also welcome in the UK and EU, so moving within the Western cultural sphere is usually effortless. However, with a war on the Europe’s eastern border, an explosive situation in the Middle East, and a series of military coups in Africa, there are more and more no-go zones for Western writers. While in some cases it may be possible to legally enter the region, security may not be guaranteed and foreigners mat be targeted for robbery or even kidnapping. Unfortunately, the world of art has always been subject to political dictates and the increasing polarisation of global relations is not doing any favours to writers with an adventurous spirit.
What About the Voices from the Developing World?
Perhaps most alarmingly, it’s becoming more common for authors from nations in Asia or Africa to be denied travel permissions to visit book fairs and other events. The denials come both from their own nations which sometimes want to prevent local voices from being heard, and from host countries which may simply consider them a risk due to their passports. This effectively silences large parts of the world in the bigger narrative, and limits the perspectives of the remaining community of writers. With many countries moving to make migration laws more restrictive, there are fears that it could have a negative impact of freedom of movement for legitimate reasons. Fragmentation of the international family of writers and book lovers would be a disastrous outcome that could hamper collaboration for decades to come. This is why widely respected institutions such as the London Book Fair have an important role as ambassadors of global unity in their domain.
