On Thursday, Shashi Tharoor, MP Thiruvananthapuram, hosted the curtain raiser of the ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival 2026, at his official residence. Tharoor dedicated the evening to “stories untold and conversations yet to unfold”.
The festival (January 22 to 25) is to be organised at the Kozhikode beachfront, in the city recognised as India’s first UNESCO City of Literature. It will welcome 400 global voices from 17 countries -- including Nobel Laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah and Olga Tokarczuk -- making it India’s most globally represented literature conclave.
Notable attendees at the Delhi curtain raiser included Philipp Ackermann, German Ambassador to India, Marla Stukenberg, regional director of the Goethe-Institut, South Asia Region; Juan Angulo M, Ambassador of Chile to India, Rasmus Abildgaard-Kristensen, Ambassador of Denmark, Patrick John Rata, High Commissioner of New Zealand, Ono Keiichi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan, Juan Antonio March-Pujol, Ambassador of Spain, Antonio Bartoli, Ambassador of Italy, and Daniel Tănase, Ambassador of Romania.
Germany is the guest nation for KLF 2026. Speaking on the occasion, the German ambassador affirmed the festival as a “meeting point for cultures, ideas, and artistic expression. We look forward to presenting the depth of German literature, thought, and creativity, and to engaging with the vibrant literary community of Kerala.”
Heinst, Director of Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Bengaluru, said: “We have invited important voices from contemporary German literature like Mithu Sanyal, Christopher Kloeble, Shida Bazyar, Max Czollek, and Hadija Haruna, who will engage in meaningful conversations with their fellow artists from India.”
The German participation will include a dedicated pavilion, literary showcases, workshops, and a series of cultural events curated in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut and partner institutions. In addition, a special light installation will illuminate the Kozhikode beachfront during the festival, symbolising the spirit of artistic exchange and the shared values that define KLF.
Notable attendees expected to attend are business leader Indra Nooyi, artist and illustrator Cheyenne Olivier, writer Gabriela Ybarra, economist Arvind Subramanian, linguist and author Peggy Mohan, author and columnist Shobhaa De, writer and former diplomat Amish Tripathi, actor and singer Piyush Mishra, curator Helen Molesworth, writer and activist Banu Mushtaq, writer and journalist Deepa Bhasthi, celebrated essayist Pico Iyer, renowned environmental activist Dr. Vandana Shiva, Jnanpith award-winning writer Pratibha Ray, eminent historian Romila Thapar, acclaimed novelist Anita Nair, noted Telugu author Volga, conservation biologist and writer Neha Sinha, actor and social commentator Prakash Raj, author-diplomat Pavan K. Varma, and Tharoor as well.