Jaipur Literature Festival set to return on February 1 next year

New Delhi: Well-known British classicist Mary Beard, English historian-broadcaster Tom Holland, art historian BN Goswamy and mythological fiction writer Anand Neelakantan, are part of the first list of 25 speakers participating in the 17th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), starting February 1, the organisers announced on Tuesday.

Dubbed as "the greatest literary show on earth", the upcoming edition of the festival, scheduled from February 1-5, 2024, will take place at Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur.

The five-day literary extravaganza, based on the theme of 'Stories Unite Us', aims to explore the transformative power of literature, how it reflects society, and brings people together.

As in the previous years, the festival will celebrate linguistic diversity, featuring a broad spectrum of languages and host sessions that focus on literary works in languages, including Assamese, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, and Urdu.

"The 2024 edition of the JLF will bring our living library of ideas, books, and writers into the hearts and minds of book lovers from around the world. Fiction and faction, poetry and music, debates and discussions await us, with a brilliant and diverse list of speakers and performers. A vintage year, with classic themes and stimulating contemporary interpretations," said writer Namita Gokhale, co-director of JLF, in a statement.

Also featuring on the first list of speakers are: Debra Diamond, curator of South Asian and Southeast Asian Art at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art; debut novelist of "Quarterlife" Devika Rege; Best-selling American author of "The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death" Jeff Goodell; prize-winning and bestselling broadcaster Jerry Brotton; acclaimed Hindi novelist and writer Mridula Garg and award-winning author of three novels Nilanjana S Roy.

The list continues with award-winning journalist-author Patrick Radden Keefe; journalist-novelist Raj Kamal Jha; British writer Ben Macintyre; recipient of 47 honorary doctorates RA Mashelkar and former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court S Muralidhar, among others.

"The 17th edition of the JLF will focus on Indian literature and the celebration of diverse voices. Distinguished speakers include Mridula Garg, a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi award; Anuradha Sarma Pujari, a prominent Assamese author; B. Jeyamohan, a celebrated writer in Tamil and Malayalam; and acclaimed writers Anand Neelakantan and Kalpana Raina. International writers such as the award-winning historian Mary Beard, the acclaimed travel writer Colin Thubron, and translator Tom Holland will also be at the Festival," said Sanjoy K Roy, producer of the festival, in a statement.

The 10th edition of the Jaipur BookMark (JBM), which will be running parallel to the festival, will bring together a wide range of publishers, literary agents, writers, translators, translation agencies and booksellers from across the world and give them an opportunity to meet, talk business and listen to major global industry players.