The State of European Literature is an annual lecture delivered by a prominent author or poet of international renown about the state of literature and Europe from the perspective of literature.

Andrey Kurkov (1961), born in Russia, is a Ukrainian novelist who writes in Russian and Ukrainian. He is the author of over 20 novels and 10 books for children. His work is currently translated into 45 languages. His books are full of black humour, post-Soviet reality and elements of surrealism. Apart from fiction, Kurkov writes essays and diaries about the current situation in Ukraine and about the history and culture of the country. These essays and articles are regularly published in The Guardian, Financial Times, New Statesman, The Spectator and other media.