Mumbai : Global anticipation for the eighth ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival mounts today as organisers announced a further list of leading literary names set to appear at the world’s largest free literary festival next January 21-25, 2015.
With an ever-increasing number of book festivals taking place across the world, 75 in India alone, the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival has again reinforced its reputation as the global destination for writers and thinkers each January; a unique and unrivalled space for people to come together to dare, dream and imagine.
This year’s programme is one of the most varied and diverse to date, bridging across historical, political and geographical boundaries. The continued world-class programming by Festival Co-Directors Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple has acted as a magnet, pulling together the greatest economists, poets, historians, scientists, film-makers, explorers, playwrights and novelists for a carnival of the mind at Diggi Palace, the home of the Festival.
The poetic imagination will have a strong presence in 2015 with Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Vijay Seshadri being joined by prominent Hindi poet and Jnanpith awardee Kedarnath Singh, and revered poet Vinod Kumar Shukla. Acclaimed Marathi Dalit writer Urmilia Pawar and Mumbai based thespian Sushma Deshpande will speak of their theatrical collaborations in adapting Pawar’s autobiography Aaydan at the Festival.
Celebrated British poet and great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin, Ruth Padel will be present at Jaipur, along with Festival favourite Simon Armitage, Palestinian American poet Fady Joudah and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Ashok Vajpeyi who will explore the poetic imagination with discussions cutting across forms and languages. The winner of the first Khushwant Singh Memorial Prize will also be awarded at the Festival.
As an integral part of the Indian narrative, another prominent theme for 2015 will be cinema and its relationship with novels and theatre. Kannada screenwriter, actor, director and winner of the Jnanpith Award Girish Karnad will be in conversation with prominent contemporary film-makers, and one of Britain’s most in-demand theatre directors, Tim Supple will explore the influence of Shakespeare in contemporary Indian cinema. Cinema giants and firm Festival favourites Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi will once again analyse the chemistry and magic that operates across poetry and Indian cinema.
Dialogues on art history and art appreciation, and sessions focusing on different aspects of Indian art will also play a major role at the Festival. There will be a session on art as well as a look at the interplay between Buddhism and architecture with Oxford’s Llewelyn Morgan, who will be discussing the Buddhist artworks at Bamiyan in Central Afghanistan. Acclaimed Pakistani painter, writer and academic Salima Hashmi will throw light on the unknown masterpieces of Pakistani art.And of course novelists will be well represented at the Festival with blockbuster writers Amish Tripathi and Chetan Bhagat attending along with bestselling thriller writer Ashwin Sanghi. Man Booker Prize shortlisted writers Will Self and Sarah Waters, Commonwealth Writers’ Prize winner Amit Chaudhuri, Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction winner and author of A Girl is a Half-formed Thing Eimear McBride and Pakistani-British Granta Best Young Writer nominee Kamila Shamsie will all share insights into their work.
Bringing a global presence to the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival will be writers from all four corners of the world, including maestros of Nordic Noir Hakan Nesser and Nils Nordberg, as well as Pulitzer-Prize winning American biographer Kai Bird. From Africa, Festival audiences will be able to meet Helon Habila one of the leading lights of Nigerian literature as well as South African Mark Gevisser whose biography of Thabo Mbeki won him international acclaim.
These authors and more will join the list of previously announced participants, which includes Nobel laureate V.S.Naipaul, father of modern travel writing Paul Theroux, 2014 Man Booker Prize nominee Neel Mukherjee, 2013 Man Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton and Samuel Johnson Prize winner and author of The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher Kate Summerscale.
Given the international demographic of both the Festival’s visitors and speakers, it is fitting that ZEE Entertainment have once again committed to supporting the Festival as title sponsor, fitting well with their vision, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (The World is My Family). Unlike many other literary festivals, the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival is completely free, with corporate sponsorship allowing the event to grow into the world’s largest free literary festival open to all.
The ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival is produced by Teamwork Arts, led by Sanjoy K. Roy and co-Directed by writers Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple.
Author and co-Director Namita Gokhale said, “The ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival is a magical and transformative experience for the mind and soul. The infectious joy of collective energies and stimulation of books and reading, ideas and dialogue, pulls together visitors from all corners of the globe, who take a little of the festival back with them. 2015 is set to be another vintage year at Jaipur.”
Author and co-Director William Dalrymple said, “This is going to be a completely spectacular Jaipur. As well our usual glittering crown of celebrated literary superstars– we have more Nobel, Booker, Pulitzer, Samuel Johnson, Crossword and Sahitya Academy prize winners than ever before– I am especially proud of how many younger less-known talents we are showcasing this year. This may well be the most memorable festival ever.”
Producer and Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, Sanjoy K. Roy said, “With just 7 weeks to go until the Festival returns to Jaipur, we are excited by the extraordinary talent who will discuss, share, listen and debate with our Festival audiences over five days at Diggi Palace. We are grateful to our partners for their continued generous support, allowing us to keep the Festival free to all, and look forward to announcing more speakers and participants over the coming weeks.”
source : Sachin Murdeshwar