New Delhi: Come November and Kerala could
play host to the likes of Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith, Sting
or even Bill Clinton at the Hay Literature festival scheduled
to be held in its capital Thiruvananthapuram.
The festival which is annually held in Hay-on-Wye,
Wales in the UK and which organisers say attracts nearly one
lakh visitors annually brings together authors, Nobel
laureates, musicians, filmmakers and thinkers.
"We have identified the Palace in Thiruvanthapuram and
the beach as the venues for the festival in November which
will bring together 10 to 15 international authors, 10 leading
Indian authors along with 15 local regional writers," Sanjoy K
Roy, Teamwork Productions, which is organising the event told
a news agency.
The first edition of the three-day event commencing
from November 12 this year is expected to host an estimated 40
leading authors who will lead discussions, readings and
debates in the tranquil settings of Thiruvananthapuram.
While previous editions of the festival have featured
Bill Clinton, Sting, Salman Rushdie, Desmond Tutu, Margaret
Atwood, Gordon Brown, Zadie Smith and Vikram Seth, final list
for Kerala is yet to be announced.
"We are very excited to celebrate the Hay festival in
India and Kerala became the obvious choice for its high
literacy rate and popular tourist destination.
"The festival will create a platform to present Indian
writing to an international audience," says Lyndy Cooke,
executive director, Hay Festival.
In Kearala the event is expected to comprise of about
30 events including conversations and performances as well as
workshops and collaborations with educational institutions,
say organisers.
"The Hay on Wye festival is an absolute delight for
any book lover and we look forward to its first India edition.
Besides the razzmatazz of literature, the festival will also
generate and explore new ideas on arts, poetry and
storytelling," says Roy.
Since 1987 the festival in UK has grown to be a mega
event featuring over 500 events across 10 days with
interviews, talks and debates celebrating important figures of
the literary, politic and artistic worlds, surrounded by music
and exhibitions.
"The Hay festivals are a wonderful space for writers,
thinkers and academics from around the world to meet and
exchange ideas with a passionate audience and to build lasting
relationships," says Susie Nicklin, Literature Director,
British Council which is partnering with Teamworks Productions
to bring the festival to Kerala.
PTI
