The sixth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF-2023) will begin on the Kozhikode beach on January 12, 2023. The four-day festival, which was earlier scheduled to be held in January 2022 by DC Books with the support of Kerala Government, had been postponed following the COVID-19 threat.
According to organisers, the sixth edition promises to be an outstanding affair with over 400 speakers including popular writer Jeffrey Archer, Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Ada Yonath, Piyush Pande, Francesc Miralles, Geethanjali Shree, Wendy Doniger, Ramachandra Guha, Palanivel Thiagarajan, Sanjeev Sanyal, Anand Neelakantan, Shashi Tharoor, Manu S. Pillai, Prakash Raj, and Shobhaa De.
With an aggregate footfall of more than three lakh, KLF is claimed to be the second-largest festival of its kind in Asia combining the best of literary and popular cultures. As one of the most popular literary festivals in the subcontinent, it brings together writers, artists, actors, celebrities, thinkers, and activists closer to people of different backgrounds and interests.
As in the earlier editions, writer and Kerala Sahitya Akademi president K. Satchidanandan is the festival director this time too. Minister for Tourism P.A. Mohamed Riyas is the chief patron. Former MLA A. Pradeep Kumar, Mayor Beena Philip, and Ravi Deecee will also handle other key roles during the festival.
According to a press release issued by the organisers here on Thursday, the sessions at KLF-2023 aim to map literature through discussions on diverse aspects. Besides Nobel laureates, the invited speakers include Jnanpith winners, Oscar winners, Booker Prize recipients, literary luminaries, film and theatre personalities, performers and artistes, designers, media personalities, sports icons, diplomats, and celebrities from diverse backgrounds, the release said.