This winter, the Pink City is set to turn magical once again with the 19th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). Produced by Teamwork Arts and often described as one of the ‘greatest literary shows on earth’, JLF has, since 2006, drawn writers, critics, artists and readers from across the world for a week-long celebration of books and ideas. The festival was founded by authors Namita Gokhale, William Dalrymple and Sanjoy K. Roy
The edition is scheduled to take place from January 15 to 19, 2026, at Hotel Clarks Amer. Over 300 speakers will participate in a wide range of discussions, celebrating literary works in languages including Hindi, Kannada, Odiya, Sanskrit, Assamese, Urdu and more.
The Delhi preview on Wednesday offered an early glimpse into how the festival is responding to a rapidly shifting literary and cultural moment. Hosted at The Leela Palace, the evening unfolded with a mesmerising qawwali performance that set the tone for the conversations and cultural exchange to come.
Reflecting on the festival’s curatorial choices, co-director Namita Gokhale points to how contemporary anxieties and curiosities have shaped this year’s programme. “The way the world is changing, AI inevitably enters the conversation — whether it’s creativity, technology or change itself. You can’t evade it, and people want to know more. There’s no AI fatigue as such; everyone is curious because it impacts all our lives,” she tells TMS.
Reflecting this urgency, several sessions at the festival will examine AI’s growing influence on literature and creativity, with discussions ranging from AI in Science and the Humanities to conversations around AI and the future of books and reading.
Alongside this, Gokhale notes an unexpected yet organic surge in darker themes. “Quite spontaneously — don’t ask me how — there’s been a flood of sessions on ghosts, spooky stories, murder, mayhem and noir writing,” she says. Sessions on this include a discussion around Sanjoy K. Roy’s There’s a Ghost in My Room, as well as conversations on horror fiction, thrillers and suspense writing.
This year’s edition will also celebrate regional-language women writers, including Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq (Kannada), K.R. Meera (Malayalam), Salma (Tamil) and Telugu author Volga. The festival will further see several book launches, including works by emerging young women writers from across India. “In a way, almost everything in the world finds its place here,” Gokhale says.