Jaipur Literature Festival to begins from 20th January 2012

Jaipur Literature Festival is all set to enthrall literary enthusiasts again from January 20-24, 2012. As always, the annual festival will be held at the heritage property Diggi Palace in Jaipur. "The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival 2012 promises to live up to its claim of being a celebration of National and International writing ,and encompassing a wide range of activities including debates, discussions, readings, music and workshops," said an official spokesperson on Thursday. The festival will play host to over 200 speakers from across the globe. Prominent authors who have confirmed their presence at the 5th DSC Jaipur Literature Festival 2012 include Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Amish Tripathi, Ben Okri, C.P. Deval, David Hare, David Remnick, Deepak Chopra, Fatima Bhutto, Gulzar, Hari Kunzru, Helen Fielding, Jamaica Kincaid, James Schapiro, Jason Burke, Javed Akhtar, Lakshmi Sharma, Mahesh Dattani, Michael Ondaatje, Mohamed Hanif, Pavan Varma, Piyush Daiya, Prasoon Joshi, Purushottam Agrawal, Rahul Bhattacharya, Rabi Thapa, Ranjit Hoskote, Shyam Jahangid, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Tahmima Anam, Thant Mynt-U, Tom Stoppard and Zoe Heller to name a few.
This year the festival will focus on a variety of issues including Bhakti and Sufi traditions, Arab Spring, Gandhi, Ambedkar and Anna, Vegetarianism, Censorship, ,writing from conflict zones, Theatre and other issues. Speaking about the literary extravaganza, Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale said: “The Jaipur Literature Festival is now the Kumbh Mela of Indian and international writing. It nourishes narratives and nurtures a vibrant literary community. Once again, this coming January, our festival will generate and give voice to the marvelous and spontaneous energy that has become its hallmark.” Festival Co-Director William Dalrymple said: “This is our best Jaipur line up ever. I am particularly proud this year to have brought Tom Stoppard and David Hare, two of our greatest living playwrights, cutting edge writers of non-fiction like the Tiger Mother Amy Chua, Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker, great novelists such as Annie Proulx, Ben Okri, Jonathan Safran Foer and Michael Ondaatje, as well as the editor of the New Yorker, David Remnick as well as frontline reports from the Arab Spring and the art of writing for stage and screen.