The Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is all set to celebrate its milestone 10th edition this year from 1st to 3rd of March 2019 with ‘The Focus is Tomorrow’ theme.
Managing Director Oxford University Press (OUP) Arshad Saeed Husain shared details of the 10th KLF in a press conference held at the Arts Council of Pakistan. He said that over 235 speakers and authors from Pakistan, UK, USA, Russia, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, UAE, India, and Canada will participate in the event. Around 20 book launches are planned this year which will be a highlight for book lovers.
The KLF Advisory Board members including Muneeza Shamsie, Bina Shah, Ahmed Shah, Mujahid Barelvi, and Salman Tarik Kureshi and other eminent literary figures also attended the press conference.
The 10th Karachi Literature Festival will take place at the Beach Luxury Hotel. Following in its ten-year tradition, the festival will be free and open to public.
There will be over 80 sessions representing 13 languages, and featuring talks/interviews, panel discussions, Urdu mushaira, English poetry readings, satire, performance art, and film screenings.
The KLF-Infaq Foundation Urdu Literature Prize will be awarded to the best book of prose or poetry in Urdu published during 2017-18. The entries received will be evaluated by a panel of jury members comprising eminent critics and writers.
KLF will bring some of the most creative minds beyond Pakistan’s border
Speaking on the occasion, Arshad Saeed Husain said, “The 10th KLF will feature literary works and poetry, the fine arts, culture, and the performance arts. We aim to bring together not only the stalwarts of Pakistan’s literary world and academia, but also some of the most creative minds beyond Pakistan’s border.” He further added, “KLF is the mother of all literature festivals as it has inspired literary activities to flouris celebrating the written word in different cities across Pakistan. Through discourse and discussions, the festival celebrates cultural and linguistic diversity. KLF is not just a festival but a social movement inspiring our youth and the literati to embrace it and spread this light further.”
Some of the international authors participating in the festival are: Anita M. Weiss, Anna Suvorova, Bettina Robotka, David Waterman, Deborah Baker, Elena Nicolai, Leila Aboulela, Mona Eltahawy, and Wendy Marijnissen. The local literary luminaries, academics, and intellectuals to be featured in the 10th KLF include Amin Gulgee, Anwar Maqsood, Attiya Dawood, H.M. Naqvi, Hafeez Pasha, Harris Khalique, I.A. Rehman, Iftikhar Arif, Ishrat Husain, Kishwar Naheed, Nasir Abbas Nayyar, Nilofur Farrukh, Sabyn Javeri, Sania Nishtar, Sardar Masood Khan, Shafqat Ali Shah Jamote, Sheema Kermani, Zehra Nigah, and Zia Mohyeddin.
Published in Daily Times, February 8th 2019.
