THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters ’20, one of India’s most vibrant literary events, will be held from 30th January – 2nd February, in the heritage grounds of iconic Kanakakkunnu Palace, featuring around 350 speakers from all across the world and India.
The theme of the 3rd edition is Shrinking spaces, Transcending letters, which “attempts to identify and celebrate the cognitive efforts to resist the sustained onslaught on democratic discourse, and elevates the Letter, which has and continues to inspire literature across cultures and civilisations.” The festival will host nearly 40 foreign speakers of quality with a wealth of experience who will animate discussions on arts, genders, literature, media, movies, music, politics, publishing and race, encompassing all aspects of culture, as well as sports. Evenings will have cultural events and pulsating music.
Along with a select group of nearly 200 speakers, representing different generations in Malayalam, a 100-strong contingent of speakers and writers from the rest of India will embellish the event.
Some of the stellar speakers include jury member of Booker Prize Lemn Sissay, the first woman of colour publisher in Britain Margaret Busby, one of most influential LGBT people in the UK as well as ‘one of poetry’s greatest modern voices’ Dean Atta, one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors Alexander McCall Smith, Magsaysay Award winner and NDTV Hindi Managing Director Raveesh Kumar, Kashmiri journalist Gowhar Geelani and documentary maker Iffat Fatima, author of the first santhal novel in English Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, British writer of Sri lankan origin Romeh Gunasekhara, former Zimbabwean cricketer Tatenda Taibu, Malayalam greats Jananpith winner M T Vasudevan Nair and short story maestro T Padmanabhan, writer-diplomat-politician Dr. Shashi Tharoor, also the festival Patron, and writer-environmentalist-politicaian Dr. Jairam Ramesh are among those gracing the event.
M V Shreyams Kumar, Jt Managing Director, Mathrubhumi Group and festival Patron said” The 3rd edition of Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters will have authors from different parts of the world, representing different nationalities, apart from leading Indian writers and powerful voices from Malayalam literature. We provide a democratic platform for articulation of untramelled opinion and make it a celebration of our inherited syncretic culture to take forward the legacy of literature, words and its potency”.
The 4-day festival will also witness the announcement and honouring the winner of the first ever Mathrubhumi Book of the Year Award with a citation, statuette and a cash award of re. 5 lakh.
Entry to MBIFL General pass: Rs 250 for one day, Rs 800 for all four days Student pass: Rs 150 for one day, Rs 500 for all four days The delegate pass for participating in MBIFL will be available at all Mathrubhumi offices and book stalls. Passes are also available at the festival office in Thiruvanthapuram., Bookmyshow website or official MBIFl website, mbifl.com.
