International literary event Sarajevo Days of Poetry started in 1962, in order to preserve and enhance literary-estetical and literary-ethical standard of writing in B&H.

The original ambition was to open the B&H cultural space of the different languages, cultures, literary, heritage and traditions, and has survived until today. Days of Sarajevo poetry, today, is the prestigious cultural event, participated in all prominient poets form B&H and the former Yugoslavia, and the most important literary creators fom Europe and the world.

Tradition of the poetry of Sarajevo has not been interrupted under the terms of aggression and war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992.-1995.). Poetic word, in its full force and meaning, was a kind of resistance to fascism and crime, thereby never losing on its literary value, thus incorporating the aesthetic and ethical standards, using poetry as a protection and resistance, revealing poetry as a universal humanism speech. 

From that time until today, the days of the Sarajevo Poetry participated prominent authors from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as many literary creation from neighboring countries and the world (Croatian, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Kosovo, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, France, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Canada, Palestine, Polish, Iran, Egypt, the United States, Congo, Japan, etc.), which truly evidence of how the Sarajevo Poetry Days, a literary event of international standing and importance, retain its openness, dialogical nature, willingness to crossing borders, exchange of ideas and artistic experiences, interest in modern trends in poetry, while fostering respect and literary tradition. 

In recent years, Sarajevo Poetry Days are traditionally held in the spring - in the first half of May.