Jaipur hosts Asia’s biggest literary festival
January 21st, 2010 - 8:07 pm ICT by ANIBy Lokendra Singh
Jaipur, Jan 21 (ANI): Over 190 writers from 30 countries have gathered here for a five-day literary festival.
The festival is being held at Diggi Palace, a sprawling 19th century mansion.
The festival which is considered as Asia’s biggest literary festival and promises to be packed with readings, discussions and debate, besides musical performances.
Many first-time author-attendees have said they are enjoying the experience.
“…To refresh ourselves intellectually and emotionally. We have to be careful not to go to too many events, we have to choose them carefully,” said British playwright Louise Doughty.
Now in its fifth year, the event will see literati rubbing shoulders with glitterati.
Some of the writers participating include Alexander McCall Smith, Mahasweta Devi, Wole Soyinka, Devdutt Patnaik, Roberto Calasso, Vikram Chandra, Hanif Kureishi and Louis de Bernières.
Bollywood actors Rahul Bose and Om Puri, and Shabana Azmi, and British filmmaker Stephen Frears are among the other attending.
Many authors agreed that the Jaipur Literature Festival is a unique meeting place for writers across countries, cultures and languages.
“One thing is that we get to meet writers who we wouldn’t come across everyday. We meet writers who write in different languages, which is great. There are a lot of book fairs in India, but nothing of this scale, which is one of a kind,” said poet and author Gulzar.
Last year, the festival played host to more than 100 writers and attracted 20,000 visitors.
The event has put Jaipur, a popular tourist destination, on the literary map. (ANI)
- Soyinka, Calasso, Sivakami...Watch out for Jaipur lit fest - Jan 19, 2010
- Jaipur Literature Fest to host Vikram Chandra, Tina Brown - Dec 18, 2009
- Jaipur Literature Festival begins with Indian poetry - Jan 21, 2010
- Jaipur lit fest turns new page, fog hides some stars (Lead) - Jan 21, 2010
- Literary carnival over, wait for next year begins (Letter from Jaipur lit fest) - Jan 26, 2011
- Fog scripts changes for Soyinka, Shabana at Jaipur fest - Jan 21, 2010
- Muslims threaten trouble if Rushdie speaks - Jan 24, 2012
- An eclectic mix, Jaipur Literature fest sees spirited start - Jan 21, 2011
- Indian literary scene saw fests, awards, strong publishing (2010 in Retrospect) - Dec 24, 2010
- Salman Rushdie's name off Jaipur Festival's events roster - Jan 17, 2012
- Rushdie unlikely to attend Jaipur Festival - Jan 17, 2012
- Not into books? Jaipur lit fest still a blast (Letter from Jaipur) - Jan 24, 2010
- Rushdie address called off as Muslims threaten trouble (Lead) - Jan 24, 2012
- Rushdie to speak via video on 'Midnight's Children' (Second Lead) - Jan 23, 2012
- Jaipur lit fest to focus on Indian languages - Dec 27, 2010
Tags: alexander mccall smith, bollywood actors, book fairs, british filmmaker, british playwright, different languages, diggi, glitterati, hanif kureishi, literati, literature festival, musical performances, om puri, rahul bose, roberto calasso, shabana azmi, stephen frears, time author, vikram chandra, wole soyinka