The Jaipur Literature Festival is all set to return in an all-new virtual avatar this year, bringing an array of subjects, speakers and mentors right in the palm of your hand. Dubbed as the ‘greatest literary show on Earth’, the 14th edition of the JLF is slated for February 19 to February 28, featuring a spectacular line-up of events and meets. With speakers from all over, consisting of poets, playwrights, politicians, journalists, cultural icons and recipients of major literary awards including the Man Booker, the Pulitzer, JCB Prize for Literature, Commonwealth, European Union Prize amidst others, this festival will be a mega celebration and you need to be a part of it!
Indulge in the depths of literature, art, politics, food, music and a lot more!
Encapsulating wide and kaleidoscopic themes, the vibrancy of this festival will exude through multiple topics and discussions. Starting from Technology & AI, Politics & History, Environment & Climate Change to Mental Health, Economics, Translations, Poetry & Music, all will be explored at leisure here. Additionally, Food & Literature, Geopolitics, Science & Medicine, Democracy & Constitutions, Water & Sustainability, Historical Fiction and Travel will also fall under the ambit of its sessions.
Some highlights from the programme include Glasgow-born author Douglas Stuart, whose 2020 Booker Prize-winning debut novel “Shuggie Bain” evokes the essence of addiction, parenthood, courage and love. Following the bond between a son and his mother, fractured by alcoholism, poverty, aspiration and human misery, the novel graphs an intimate devastating yet ultimately hopeful journey through their lives. In conversation with writer and playwright Paul McVeigh, Stuart will unravel the thought and process behind bringing this heartbreaking story out into the world.
Celebrated American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist Noam Chomsky’s latest book, “Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power”, sharply questions the utopian idea of neo-liberalism and the consequences of markets dictating all aspects of society. Evaluating the ten principles that have fuelled this idea, he will unravel its roots and its troubling impact on American society, culture and politics, in conversation with journalist Sreenivasan Jain.
Covering the ongoing pandemic, doctors and co-authors Randeep Guleria, Chandrakant Lahariya and Gagandeep Kang will discuss their exciting new project in conversation with award-winning journalist Maya Mirchandani. The focus of the session will revolve around whether India wins the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
All in store for you at the Jaipur Literature Festival:
Speaking on the programme, author and Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale said: “It’s been a joyous challenge to work on the programming for Jaipur Literature Festival 2021. We look at our transformative times and try to understand the future through the lens of the present and the past. Our hybrid digital outreach has opened up a new universe of possibilities.”
Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, producer of the Jaipur Literature Festival, said. “A year after the world was felled by the pandemic, we have persevered and shown that human endurance can and will prevail, fuelled by knowledge and information, empathy and the right to justice. The Jaipur Literature Festival is representative of these ideals and will continue to be a platform to celebrate the joy of knowledge.”
