These Top 10 Literary Festivals Will Rekindle Your Love For Reading

We all love to sink our faces into a good book, don’t we?

There’s nothing like sitting on your bed, sipping a cup of coffee and getting lost in those engaging words of your favourite author. Well, how about a whole festival to celebrate your love for literature? The Sherp brings you 10 festivals in India and around the world dedicated completely to books!

1. Times Literature Carnival

Held at Mehboob Studio every year, the Times Literary Carnival has gained a reputation of being one of the biggest literature festivals in the country. Featuring a number of esteemed speakers and writers year after year, the festival gives literature enthusiasts from the suburbs a unique chance to interact with their heroes. What’s awesome is that the chances are you’ll probably run into your favourite Bollywood celebrities and top businessman too without the trouble of security!

2. Tata Literature Live

Book lovers from Mumbai have not one but several options! If you’re a townie, the Tata Literature Live Fest at the NCPA is where you need to be. Featuring over 120 speakers, this four-day event has grown to be one of India’s finest festivals to date. From debates on current issues to brand new modes and forms of literature and writing, established authors to upcoming writers; the fest has something for every kind of book lover!

3. Delhi Literature Festival

Calling all Delhiites! If you have a passion for the written word then head on over to the Delhi Literature Festival. Set in the heart of the capital city, this festival gives you the opportunity to witness engaging panel discussions, book launches, book readings, workshops, live performances, speaker events, music, poetry, theatre, cinema and much much more! The soul aim of this festival is to promote art, culture and literature at the highest level. Being the capital city, the festival also features active participation from the political class too!

4. Jaipur Literature Festival

It’s not just Mumbai and Delhi who are getting a dose of knowledge but Rajasthan too! The Jaipur Literature Festival started way back in 2006 with around 30 writers and roughly 100 attendees. Now, over a decade later, the festival has become the Largest Free Literature Festival in, not just India, but the world! From Noble Laureates to Booker Prize winners, the best of the industry make their way to this festival! Oh and you’ll probably get a chance to meet some esteemed Pulitzer Prize winners too! Year after year, the attendees at the festival seem to be growing. After all, with speakers like Salman Rushdie, Pico Iyer, Orhan Pamuk, Amartya Sen, Stephen Fry and Margaret Atwood; the festival isn’t short on literary geniuses! Not to forget, the festival also boast of live musical performers from dynamic artists across multiple genres!

5. Kolkata Literature Festival

Heading into its 7th edition this February, the Kolkata Literature festival took book lovers in Kolkata to a whole range of literary genres. Featuring renowned English writer, Shashi Tharoor, as well as Historian, Ramachandra Guha, during previous editions; the festival organizers have gone all out to ensure they get the best! Budding writers can attend organized workshops too! In addition to the sheer literary talent, the festival also features journalists, artists, musicians and traditional dance performances.

6. Hay Festival Cartagena

One of the most important literary festivals in the Hispanic world, the Hay Festival Cartagena features everything – from literature, visual arts, cinema, music, geopolitics, journalism and the environment. Combing all this together with dialogue, it makes for an epic celebration of culture and art! After being around for more than a decade, this year the festival will celebrate a rocking 12th edition! Taking their dedication towards social responsibilities and education seriously, twenty percent of the tickets are free for students!

7. PEN World Voices Festival Of International Literature

The Pen World Voices Festival of International Literature was formed over 10 years ago! For those of you who aren’t aware, the festival was founded by none other than Salman Rushdie, way back in 2004. Featuring over 100 writers and artists from around the world as well as top literary and cultural scholars in America; the festival tackles the most critical current issues and affairs. As a true reflection of the sentiment of its founder, the festival covers everything – freedom of expression, international conflict, immigration and displacement, genocide, mass incarceration, race, policing, and women’s equality. After all, what else would you expect from Salman Rushdie!

8. Flip Festival

Putting Brazil on the map, this festival features local literary scholars from all over this beautiful country and is driven by a non-profit Associação Casa Azul. Featuring lectures, discussions, literary workshops and events for children and young people alike, the festival has gained a name for itself, thanks to the presence of international authors from all over the world. How great is it that the love of books has no boundaries and barriers, are we right?

9. International Literature Festival Dublin

How about travelling to Dublin for Ireland’s premier literary event? The International Literature Festival in Dublin is described by the Irish media as ‘boasting a stunning array of top international literary talent’ and ‘the country’s most successful and easily the best annual literary event’. The festival showcases a number of interesting activities including a diverse mix of poets, writers of fiction and non-fiction, lyricists, playwrights and screenwriters. Feel like going on a bit of a vacation to Ireland, don’t you?

10. Edinburgh International Book Festival

Maybe London is more your fancy? Then head over to the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Taking place in the last three weeks of August, every year, this festival hosts a number of concentrated flurry of cultural and political talks and debates, along with its well-established children’s event programmes. And guess what? The first book festival in Edinburg took place way back in 1983! Guess Edinburgh is filled with book lovers just like us!

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