Kozhikode Beach, venue of the Kerala Literature Festival
| Photo Credit: K. RAGESH

The city that bid a tearful farewell to a colossus of literature nearly a month ago is set to welcome a galaxy of writers from different corners of the world. The eighth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) opens on Kozhikode Beach on Thursday (January 23) , and it is the first without M.T. Vasudevan Nair, who, for the past several decades, was the city’s most famous resident.

The KLF did not take long to establish itself as one of the country’s most prestigious literature festivals. And Kozhikode has taken the festival of words to its heart. Hundreds of thousands of people have ensured the KLF was a big success every year.

They were all treated to some lively sessions on a wide variety of topics, from literature to science. And they could listen to their favourite authors as well.

This year’s KLF also promises plenty over the next four days. Nobel laureates Venki Ramakrishnan (2009, Chemistry) and Esther Duflo (2019, Economics) are among the biggest names lined up for the eighth edition.

Also attending are the Booker Prize winners, Jenny Erpenbeck, Paul Lynch, Michael Hofmann and Georgi Gospodinov.

This edition’s distinct flavour will be French. France, the nation in focus, will be represented by Philippe Claudel, Pierre Singaravélou, Johanna Gustawsson, and Timothee de Fombelle. Abraham Varghese, physician and popular author from the United States, is another speaker to look forward to. Around 600 speakers will attend some 300 sessions.

The KLF’s founder and chief facilitator Ravi Deecee is glad that the festival continues to grow and commands respect from other major literary events. “They talk about how we curate the KLF, by a wide range of areas and the enthusiasm it has generated among the public,” he told The Hindu. “I am also glad that after the KLF, so many literature festivals have sprung up across Kerala. That is great for our readers.”

He says the KLF is also trying to catch the attention of the young readers, the school students. “We have storytelling sessions for them, by actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Nadia Moidu. Our writers will also be students at their schools.”

The KLF is also conducting several cultural programmes. Musicians Hariprasad Chaurasia and L. Subramaniam are among the major attractions.