A slew of top writers and intellectuals will be part of the Kerala Literature Festival's (KLF) fourth edition which kicks off on January 10 on the Kozhikode beach.
The line-up for the four-day fest includes Ramachandra Guha, Arundhati Roy, Harsh Mander, Shashi Tharoor, P Sainath, Anita Nair, Devdutt Patnaik, Manu S Pillai and several others.
Historian Ramachandra Guha will deliver the keynote address. According to a report, poet K Satchidanandan, director of the festival, said in a note that the growth of the festival in just three years had been phenomenal, both in terms of the range as well as the quality of its content.
The annual fest has often been criticised for its choice of left-of-centre speakers. But KLF claims to be a platform that enables discussion and voicing of strong opinion and dissent.
A parallel session at the fest will have noted Indian scientists discussing contemporary science as well as a theme-based film festival curated by film editor Bina Paul where films by women across the world will be screened and discussed.
Performances by Indian and foreign artists and musicians will add to the light-hearted evenings on the beach. A book fair will also be held as part of the fest.
With writers, intellectuals and artists from all over the world attending, the focus this year will be on Welsh literature. In Indian literature, the focus language will be Marathi and 12 Marathi writers will be present.
Due to the post-flood distress in the state, KLF has initiated Kerala’s first literary crowd-funder.
You can donate and get passes to the fest at the official website www.keralaliteraturefestival.com.