The Festival Phenomenon in 20th-Century Europe: Art, Politics and the Making of Cultural Capital

Spanning the period from the birth of Europe's modern festival culture in the last decades of the 19th century to the present day, this book provides a comparative, transnational history of cultural festivals in the region. It surveys the creation of a festival network during the interwar period, the development of festivals amidst the backdrop of totalitarian politics and the emergence of landmark festivals like Cannes, Edinburgh, Bayreuth and Salzburg.

Alexander Vari examines how festivals adapted, and continue to adapt, to influencing external factors like the Cold War, the EU and urban development. Through a close analysis of major opera, theatre, music and film festivals in eight different countries, as well as discussion of festivals in several others, Vari is able to explore the changing shape of the cultural public sphere and the interactions between art and politics that have taken place in 20th-century Europe. As well as providing a historical synthesis, The Festival Phenomenon in 20th-Century Europe effectively argues that, in addition to serving as forums for artistic creativity, European festivals represent complex cultural networks that are shaped by continuous interactions between art and politics and the persistent pressures of urbanization and globalization.

Complete with 30 illuminating images, this is an important text for all students and scholars studying about modern European cultural history.