Engrossed

Of the things that unite South Asians, a love of words and an alacrity with language are often noted. While the book trade struggles in much of the world, Kathmandu is the latest city in the region to launch an annual literary festival, which begins on September 16th. Big-name international writers will be there, as well as dozens from Nepal’s own energetic literary scene. Several thousand Nepali bibliophiles, most of them young, are expected to attend three days of fizzing discussion.

The fashion for literary gatherings in South Asia spread from the Jaipur festival in India, founded on a shoestring in 2006 and now a huge international success. Pakistan, where the Karachi Literature Festival had its second outing this year, showcases relatively young but internationally liked authors. Bhutan, Galle in Sri Lanka, and Goa and Trivandrum in India have joined in. But a new annual festival in Srinagar, capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, has just been postponed indefinitely after threats of violence and a perverse campaign by some authors who argued that it was wrong to talk about books in a place where liberties were curtailed.

Full report here Economist

New entrants to list of lit fests

The literary season is upon us, and the country is awash in festivals this year - with two new ones added to the crowded Delhi lit calendar. The Hindu is bringing its three-day festival, starting Sep 25.

There is now indication that corporates see literary festival as intellectual properties which have good shelf life in terms of recall and, hence, a right vehicle to reach premium audiences.

Last week, media group Deccan Chronicle signed up with KLF as its title sponsor.

The Thiruvananthapuram leg of the two festival will now be called the Deccan Chronicle-Kovalam Literary Festival. The Delhi leg will be presented by Financial Chronicle, the multi-edition business daily of the group.

This comes soon after the Catholic Syrian Bank became co-sponsor of the KLF. The KLF has now garnered sponsorships of Taj Hotels and Resorts, Kerala Tourism and ICCR, the cultural wing of the Indian government.

Many publishers like Penguin India, Harper and Westland support such festivals where their authors are showcased.

Binoo K John, author and founder director of KLF, says the success of the Jaipur Lit Fest as a showcase book event has a lot to do with the new corporate interest in such intellectual properties.

Full report here IBNLive

The honesty of Bhutanese writers

Like the recently held SAARC summit, the Bhutanese environment seems to be having quite an effect on visiting writers attending the ongoing literary festival, Mountain Echoes.

But perhaps because it involves writers, instead of politicians, sexual jokes, night hunting and gossip accompanied some of the topics during the second day of the literary festival being held here in Thimphu.
“I’ve heard most of the Indian writers before, but here they seemed more relaxed and better engaged with the audience,” said publisher and editor-in-chief of Penguin India, Ravi Singh, who has attended several other such literary festivals in India.

“I don’t want to sound condescending, but I’ve been impressed by every single Bhutanese speaker as well,” said the publishing company’s editor. So far, Bhutanese writers such as Kunzang Choden, Dasho Karma Ura, Dasho Kinley Dorji, parliament member Sonam Kinga, opposition leader Tshering Tobgay, and Siok Sian Pek Dorji have spoken at the festival.

Ravi Singh said he had observed that Bhutanese writers were trying to find their way in this new landscape, in reference to the first ever literary festival being held in Bhutan. “There’s no self indulgence,” he said, adding that the Bhutanese speakers have been thinking “outside the sphere” and in a “deep” and “honest” way.

Full report here Kuensel

Bhutan Literary Festival: Day 2

The Bhutan Literary Festival had an unexpected visitor today when King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the fifth king, said he wanted to meet writers from India. At a hastily convened tea, that included home-made samosas, at India House, the residence of Indian Ambassador Pavan Varma, the king dressed in a traditional black gho and accompanied by the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck who is a published author and a patron of the festival, mingled with writers, finally settling down to an impromptu poetry reading by Gulzar in Varma's drawing room.

Gulzar read his poems in Hindustani while Pavan Varma did the translations in English. The smallish crowd included writer and historian Patrick French whose biography of Francis Younghusband apparently impressed the Queen Mother to such a degree that French and his India-born wife, Meru Gokhale were among the few foreign guests she invited to the king's coronation in 2008.

Full report here Hindustan Times

An author's environmental concerns

Major contemporary political and socio-economic issues have never failed to stir renowned Bangladeshi writer Selina Hossain ever since she penned her first novel in 1971. Be it Bangladesh's Liberation War or exploitation of the poor or the plight of women in a male-dominated society, she has dealt with such issues in her works, including 21 novels and seven collections of short stories.

And now when climate change is a major global concern, 63-year-old Hossain is engaged with it too, in roles ranging from that of a writer to a social activist distributing relief in cyclone-hit areas. She has not only written short stories on the effects of global warming-induced natural disasters on the rural poor, especially women, but also ventured to an area to disburse relief to survivors of the cyclone Sidr in 2007. One of the writer's upcoming literary projects - a “big novel” on the plight of indigenous people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) - is partly prompted by the issue of environmental degradation and its effects on the lives of the locals.

Hossain stood out at the SAARC Literature Festival held recently at the India International Centre, as she was the only writer to talk about climate change issues and how literature can bring it into sharper focus among the masses.

Full report here Daily Star

Word to your druthers

For years, we've been hearing about the death of print, that soon we'll all be reading books on screens. I for one welcome our electronic publishing overlords. If it means more people reading e-books, it means books still have value; they'll still exist for our enjoyment, education and entertainment. And so will the ever-popular Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival, now in its 12th year.

The fest kicks off on April 21 with its Grand Prix winner, Haitian-Canadian novelist and journalist Dany Laferrière, whose lifetime of globally relevant work sets the tone for the following four days of panel discussions, readings, book launches and soirées.

Politics, as usual, are not shied away from. The Writers in Peril series addresses control issues in cyberspace, censorship, war crimes and more. Non-fiction writers Elizabeth Abbott, Denise Chong, Sarah Elton and Cleo Paskal give their take on telling the truth. American novelist James Frey also talks truth, scandal and moving on as a writer.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet Paul Muldoon reads from his work and offers a poetry workshop, giving insight into his unique style and sometimes strange (yet perfect) word choice. India takes the spotlight as poet and critic Koyamparambath Satchidanandan introduces his work and M.G. Vassanji talks about the meaning of home and rediscovering India. Lebanese poet Joumana Haddad receives the fest's Arab Literary Prize. Novelist

Full report here Hour.ca

Literature in High Places

The list of Asian literature festivals is ever-expanding

Bhutan, as you probably know, is the only country in the world to measure the Gross National Happiness of its citizens. For its book lovers, there’s going to be a spike in the graph, come May, when its capital, Thimphu, plays host to the India-Bhutan Foundation’s Mountain Echoes, the country’s first literary festival.
It joins the ever-expanding list of Asian literature festivals — there were jamborees in Hong Kong, Dubai and Karachi in the past month alone — and features some of the usual suspects: Namita Gokhale is programme consultant, Mita Kapur’s Siyahi is an associate, and Pavan Varma, the writer-diplomat who is currently India’s ambassador to Bhutan, is one of the lead movers behind it.

The procession on stage will be led by the Queen Mother, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck and the PM, Lyonpo Jigmi Yoser Thinley. Other names on the roster include Urvashi Butalia, Omair Ahmad, Mitali Saran, Bulbul Sharma, Rajkumar Hirani (mandatory Bollywood presence), Chetan Bhagat (alas, not in the same event as Hirani), Gulzar, Sampurna Chattarji, Mamang Dai, Temsula Ao, Patrick French, Sadanand Dhume, Penguin India’s Ravi Singh, Leila Seth and Sarnath Bannerjee.

Full report here Moneycontrol.com

‘The next lit fest should look at Marathi works on the Net’

Narendra Gore, managing consultant, IBM GBS, India, shares his take on the Sahitya Sammelan that concluded on March 28...

I am one of those NRIs, who decided to return home and settle in Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra. While away from the country, I got to work with people from various cultures. It was interesting to see how people from various parts of the world go that extra length to preserve their cultural heritage and literature. I lived in USA for many years.

It was easy to access good Marathi books in New Jersey. There are many literary events and Marathi authors and poets come visiting.  My children had a great time participating in Marathi cultural programmes there.  I think it’s a constant effort to keep your children aware of their roots whether they are in India or abroad. I was raised and educated in Madhya Pradesh (MP). My father migrated from Maharashtra to MP in search of employment. My mother knew very little Hindi.

Most of the songs and stories she could tell us were in Marathi. It was a struggle for her to keep Maharashtrian culture alive in the household as our town was very small with a handful of Marathi-speaking families.  

Full report here Pune Mirror

Pune hosts Marathi literary meet

Marathi publishers are gearing up for the stalls at the 83rd Marathi Sahitya Sammelan — theall-India Marathi literary meet — which will be inaugurated in Pune on March 25. The three-day event will host 310 book stalls, which are expected to sell titles worth over a crore of rupees.

As is usually the case, Mumbai publishers have also shown keen interest in the event, with around 40 from Mumbai participating. “We will be offering 21 schemes for purchasing the books, so that it inspires people to buy more books. We will put up 1,000 titles and even a few English titles,” said Mukund Bhagwat of Mauj Prakashan.

“Maharashtrians look forward to the meet as it is an occasion to purchase some really good and rare titles. The sale of books easily crosses over a crore of rupees, and this time we expect an even better business,” said Ashok Kothavale of Majestic Publishers.

Full report here DNA

33rd SAARC Literature Festival from March 26-29

The impact of environment on literature will be the focus of the 33rd SAARC Festival of Literature at the India International Centre from March 26-29.

Writers, academics, artists, folklorists, historians, greens, and peace and gender activists from eight South Asian countries will discuss how nature and environment have been key constituents of literature as well as visual and performing arts since times immemorial, a communique from the Foundation of SAARC Writers' and Literature said Wednesday.

It has been organised by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

The highlight will be a series of seminars on nature, literature, art, health, reconnecting to myths and legends about environment, globalisation, tribal perspective on ecology, heritage, architecture and civilizations.

Full report here Sify 

Reading festival

National Book Trust, India and Writers' Forum, Imphal will be organizing a two-day 'festival of reading with interaction between authors, children and youth on children literature on March 21 and 22 at Bal Bhawan, Khuman Lampak and Department of English, Manipur University Canchipur.

While the inaugural function is to be graced by Padmashree RK Jhalajit Singh and Prof IS Kangjam as chief guest and president respectively, interactive session will take place at Bal Bhawan (10 am) and MU (3 pm) on March 22, informed a joint release of the two organizations.

Eminent authors like B Jayantakumar Shanna, Amar Goswami and RK Bhubonsana Singh will participate the festival, the release further informed.

Vikas Swarup defends film theme

Indians should first own up to their slums and only then can change come, said Vikas Swarup, whose best-seller Q&A is a celebration of the human spirit and on the must-read list across the globe. The diplomat-turned-writer, who flew in from Japan, however complimented Indians for an indomitable will to get things done, no matter what the odds.

In conversation with author Kate Mosse at the Emirates International Literature Festival on Friday, Swarup said he does not see himself as an ‘Indian' writer, and that the theme of his book was universal, of love and of an underdog winning against all odds.

The idea of the book came when he was a political counsellor in London, he said. He could, however, have easily written the book when he was posted in Addis Ababa as there was a lot of spare time on his hands with not a single Indian delegation visiting the country during the three years of his tenure, he quipped.

Full report here Gulf News

Shobhaa De not amused with comparison to Jackie Collins

Shobhaa De says efforts to liken her to Jackie Collins 'as fake as botox'

Former Bollywood journalist Shobhaa De has hit out at efforts to compare her to British novelist Jackie Collins.

De called efforts to liken her to Collins — over the way she exposed Bollywood's scandals and secrets — as "lazy reporting". She also revealed that she detests Oscar-winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire.

The opinionated, and often controversial, commentator aired her thoughts at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.

In a fascinating and thought-provoking session sponsored by Gulf News on Thursday, March 11 evening, De said the concerned reporter's effort to compare her to Collins "was as fake as botox." "It was a lazy reporter's way of tagging someone from Asia. It was a way of making me more understood to a US audience. But that reporter has since become a friend and the comparison does not bother me any more," she said.

Full report here Gulfnews

Literary festival to celebrate 'feel of spring'

Literature is the flavour of spring in the capital.

Come Saturday, the open air amphitheatre of the India Habitat Centre will play host to a flurry of literary activity woven around the week long Spring Fever 2010 - a literary festival and a showcase of modern classics by Penguin-Books India.

The highlight of the festival will be an open air library which will remain open to browsers and buyers from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. till March 21. Books, including classic titles, will be sold at a discount to promote the culture of reading meaningful literature among GenNext.

While people can browse through the library during the day, the evenings will set a different mood with reading sessions and discussions.

A session on 'Mahabharata- Kal, Aaj Aur Kal' and how the epic plays out in our daily lives will be addressed by Gurcharan Das, Bibek Debroy, Namita Gokhale and Shashi Tharoor while 'Dilli Ka Shayarana Andaz', excerpts from Penguin-Yatra books and poetry of some of the capital's famous poets down the ages will be read by Ghazala Amin and Zakia Zaheer.

Full report here Sify