Revolt and rebelliousness are on the agenda of this year's Prague Writers' Festival, which has been dedicated to French enfant terrible and literary outlaw Jean Genet.

A new production of Genet's last play, Prisoner of Love, will open the event, and the invited authors have been chosen to reflect Genet's passion for revolt; sharing platforms with writers who have clashed with the state, such as the exiled Chinese poet Duo Duo, are those who express themselves in unconventional forms, such as the Greek postmodernist Ersi Sotiropoulos. Other writers appearing at the festival, who command international respect yet have still retained their subversive edge, include American crime writer Elmore Leonard, British poet Christopher Logue, acclaimed Korean poet Ko Un, and godfather of the nouveau roman Alain Robbe-Grillet.

The Guardian-sponsored festival, which is now in its 12th year, includes a series of conversations bringing together writers from different cultures and disciplines, which will be broadcasted live over the internet. The Guardian's "Ways of Escape" debate features Elmore Leonard, the Mexican novelist and environmentalist Homero Aridjis and Christopher Logue, who is working on a retelling of Homer's Iliad. Other conversations tackle "Europe at the Barricades" and "Looking out from Death".

During the festival, which runs from April 21-25, the writers will also take part in "international evenings" and attend signings and readings.