Warm invitation to the

Bukowski-Festival & Symposium

10. bis 16. August 2026

in Berlin

Berlin 08/03/2026

Dear friends of Bukowski,
Here is the programme (subject to change) for this year’s Bukowski Festival, which is taking place in Berlin from 10 to 16 August 2026 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Charles Bukowski Society (PDF download).

Among the guests will be Marina Bukowski, the daughter of Charles Bukowski and the poet Frances Dean Smith (aka FrancEyE); Marina is Buk’s only child.

Kevin Patrick Allen will give a talk on the topic ‘Find what you love and let it kill you. The Truth about the famous faked quote’. Allen is a documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist known for bringing long-buried truths to light. He has traced the true origins of the ‘Bukowski’ motto: ‘Find what you love and let it kill you’. His unexpected discovery, which has been a mystery since 2012, has implications that go far beyond a single sentence, and will be presented to the public for the first time in this lecture.

We will also be joined by David Colonne, a university lecturer who is one of the world’s leading experts on Bukowski and has edited several books on him.

The programme also features a talk by Gundolf S. Freyermuth, professor emeritus, media scholar and journalist, who conducted the last interview with Charles Bukowski in 1993, before Buk died (Gundolf S. Freyermuth and Michael Montfort (photos), *Das war’s* – *Last Words with Charles Bukowski* (Rasch & Röhring Verlag)).

Abel Debritto (including "A Catalogue of Ordinary Madness") has also been secured as a speaker; he is one of the most meticulous Bukowski scholars (the ‘Sherlock Holmes of Bukowski scholarship’) and has already edited several volumes on Bukowski.

Berlin 04/07/2026

Accommodation and hotels/hostels near the venue at Lottumstr. 9, Berlin:

Pension Mädchenkammer, Lottumstraße 20, 10119 Berlin

Schoenhouse City Street, Lottumstraße 28, 10119 Berlin

Pfefferbett Hostel, Am Pfefferberg, Hof 4, Haus 6, Christinenstraße 18–19, 10119 Berlin

Hostel Berlin - EastSeven, Schwedter Str. 7, 10119 Berlin

The Circus Hostel, Weinbergsweg 1a, 10119 Berlin

Amano Home Berlin, Torstraße 52, 10119 Berlin

easyHotel Berlin Hackescher Markt, Rosenthaler Str. 69, 10119 Berlin

St Christopher's Inn Alexanderplatz

Berlin 01/26/2026

Dear friends of Bukowski,
30 years of the Charles Bukowski Society is cause for celebration: from 10 to 16 August 2026, a festival and symposium marking "30 years of the Charles Bukowski Society" will take place at the F-Haus, Lottumstraße 9, in Berlin-Mitte. The festival and symposium promises a whole week of films, lectures, discussions and social gatherings with the world's leading Bukowski researchers.

Call for papers

At the same time, festival organiser Falko Hennig is calling on people to enrich the festival/symposium with their own contributions; suggestions and presentation topics can be sent to Falko

Admission to the festival and symposium is free for members of the Bukowski Society. For non-members, a festival pass is available for €50 (available during the festival at F-Haus, Lottumstraße 9, Berlin).

Save the date! We look forward to seeing you there!

The official website of the Charles-Bukowski-Society