2013 Jaipur Literary Festival

The Jaipur Literary Festival will be held from January 24th to 28th and will showcase some of the most talented and reputed writers in the world.  The14th Dalai Lama will attend the literary carnival on the eve of the discussion,"The Buddha in Literature' on Jan 25, 2013. The festival, which is devoting a special segment to Buddhism for the first time, will take a look at the impact of the faith on lifestyles, literature, arts and culture.

From the press release issued by the organizers --

The themes and session strands at the Festival will focus on a wide range of topics, some of which are: The Buddha in Literature, The Republic of Ideas (a Republic Day focus on ideas of India), Re-imagining the Kama Sutra, Hindi-English Bhai Bhai, Alternative Sexualities, Lok Geet Folk Geet, Bollywood ki Nayi Sanskriti, and Bibliodiversity Dialogues. The session, Remembering Sunil Da, will pay tribute to the late Sunil Gangopadhyay, who had once again accepted our invitation to attend the Festival in 2013 before his tragic demise. International sessions at the Festival will explore Russian literature, the Jewish novel, Shakespeare, Kipling, cricket writing, the New Africa, Iran, and writing on the contemporary art scene.  

Some of the authors who have confirmed their presence at the Festival in 2013 are: Ambai, Benyamin, Bhalchandra Nemade, Diana Eck, Elizabeth Gilbert, Erica Jong, Frank Dikkoter, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Gulzar, Hisham Matar, Homi Bhabha, Howard Jacobson, Javed Akhtar, Kancha Ilaiah, Kunwar Narain, Linda Grant, Madeline Miller, Michael Sandel, Michel Houellebecq, Nadeem Aslam, Neelesh Mishra, Orlando Figes, Pico Iyer, Reza Aslan, Simon Armitage, and Zoe Heller.  

Speaking about the literary extravaganza, Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale said, ‘This January, the magical banyan tree of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival will once again spread its branches and extend it roots, as another intense and joyous edition of the lit fest continues the tradition of books, dialogue and creativity. Sessions on the Buddha will comprise aspects of literature, aesthetics, philosophy and social issues, with writers and practitioners like Ranjini Obeyesekere, Ani Choying, Benoy K. Behl and Kancha Ilaiah. The Festival will continue to showcase writing from the Indian languages, and will present an invaluable platform for interactions between established and upcoming writers from India and abroad.’  

Festival Co-Director William Dalrymple said, ‘The international list at Jaipur this year is one of unprecedented depth and range, with our most cerebral and intellectually formidable group of writers yet. These include a galaxy of Booker, Pulitzer, Orange, Crossword and Samuel Johnson prize-winners and some of the most important thinkers and critics of our time. Some of the themes to be explored include Stalin vs. Mao, Freedom of Speech, The Middle East, The Future of Afghanistan, Empire, Yoga, the 18^th Century Sexual Revolution, Depression, Gandhi Re-examined, Ethics, Ashoka and Breakout Nations.’

The full speakers list is here.