Jaipur Literature Festival London edition goes virtual

The iconic Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), held annually at the Pink City of Jaipur in Rajasthan, has always believed in the spirit of the community and the hope, strength, and vitality literature gives.

This year, as the world redefines the new “normal”, Teamwork Arts, the producer of the Jaipur Literature Festival and the British Library, bring to you a virtual edition of JLF London, in which the magnificent piazza of the British Library is replaced by the boundless possibilities of the internet. 

Everything else remains the same – the magic of discourse, the caravan of ideas, the camaraderie of people, and the seamless flow of knowledge.

High-profile speakers

As the festival completes six successful years in London, its organisers highlight speakers of the calibre of Tristram Hunt, Pico Iyer, Irving Finkel, Meghnad Desai, Marcus du Sautoy, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Swapan Dasgupta, Makarand R. Paranjape, Baroness Helena Kennedy, B.N. Goswamy, Roly Keating, Anita Bose Pfaff, Mike Brearly, Kwasi Kwarteng, and many others. 

“We began the 2020 edition of JLF London with a curtain-raiser in the first week of June. The sessions featured award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair, Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, historian Peter Frankopan, and author and diplomat Amish Tripathi,” JLF said.

Keynote

This year the festival will open on September 11 with a keynote by the High Commissioner of India to the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, and will feature over 40 authors including Vidya Balan, Shashi Tharoor, Vikas Swarup, Bernardino Evaristo, Amish, Deepa Anappara, Christina Lamb, Avi Shlaim, John Lanchester programmed across 20 sessions.

“We would love you to view the sessions and spread the word,” said JLF.

Every year, the Festival brings together a diverse mix of the world’s greatest writers, thinkers, humanitarians, politicians, business leaders, sports people and entertainers on one stage to champion the freedom to express and engage in thoughtful debate and dialogue.

Writers and Festival Directors Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple, alongside producer Teamwork Arts, invite speakers to take part in the five-day programme set against the backdrop of Rajasthan’s stunning cultural heritage and the Diggi Palace in the state capital Jaipur. The master festival took on worldwide editions in recent years, including one in London.

*Info: Jaipur Literature Festival London 2020