The Fairway Galle Literary Festival (FGLF) returns for its ninth year at the Galle Fort from the 24th – 28th of January 2018. Highlights for 2018 include Pankaj Mishra of ‘Age of Anger’, Shrabani Basu whose novel ‘Victoria and Abdul’ is now a major motion picture, Bachi Karkaria author of the nonfiction ‘In Hot Blood’, Alexander McCall Smith of the famous ‘No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’ novels as well as Oscar award winning film producer Lord David Puttnam to name a few.
As Sri Lanka’s only dedicated literary festival, FGLF has made a name for itself both locally and internationally. Described as a ‘unique’ festival with ‘fascinating writers, helpful volunteers, eager, responsive audiences with wonderful warm hospitality’ by past participant, Sir Mark Tully, the Festival is an iconic event in Sri Lanka’s calendar.
At a Press Conference held on the 11th of October 2018 at Jetwing Colombo 7; their hospitality partner, the FGLF team revealed their plans for the 2018 Festival.
The newly appointed Festival Director, Janitha Dias Bandaranayake, introduced the latest events and ideas for the 2018 Festival and spoke about how far FGLF has come.
“Over the years, FGLF has created an identity through its variety. This festival is not just about bringing down authors but about placing Sri Lanka in the global front as a unique event and a unique place.”
The 2018 Festival will feature a diverse range of literature moving from fiction to nonfiction as well as film, poetry, gourmet dinners, children’s programmes, Sinhala Day, art trails, music concerts, cabaret and historic walks.
The Festival will also expand on their Outreach Programmes by conducting events in Galle and Jaffna for children, university students and teachers. The Mini Children’s Outreach Festival will allow children to participate in events held at the Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum while the North-South University Collaboration Programme will bring together students and professors from national universities to visit and take part in the Festival over the 5 days. The Teacher Training Outreach Programme will feature authors conducting special workshops for trainee teachers and teachers from schools in Galle.
In partnership with Fairway Holdings for its third year in a row, Group Chief Executive of Fairway Holdings Mr. Imal Fonseka said that FGLF is not just a sponsorship for them.
“Literature is the heart of a rich civilization and this belief is what makes us a part of the Festival. We believe in a larger social obligation and that is why we are active partners of this event.”
The Fairway National Literary Awards along with the Edward Lear Prize for Poetry is also set to be held at the Festival.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau is also onboard this year as the official destination partner. At the press conference Chairman of the Bureau, Mr. Udaya Nanayakkara stated that they are ‘proud to be associated with authors passionate about travel’ and that the Bureau looks forward to promoting Sri Lanka as a destination and has already taken steps to ensure that the 2018 calendar is filled with events!
This year’s Festival Curator, Jill McDonald, promises a stimulating Festival with film makers, journalists, historians, musicians, travel writers and many more. Releasing the first set of confirmed authors for the 2018 Festival, Jill revealed the exciting lineup they have in store. Highlights include Pankaj Mishra of ‘Age of Anger’, Shrabani Basu whose novel ‘Victoria and Abdul’ is now a major motion picture , Bachi Karkaria author of the nonfiction ‘In Hot Blood’, Alexander McCall Smith of the famous ‘No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’ novels as well as Oscar award winning film producer Lord David Puttnam to name a few.
The Festival will also feature Sri Lankan authors such as State Literary Award Winner, Nayomi Munaweera, Ashok Ferry, Channa Daswatte, Vivimarie VanderPoorten and Charulatha Abeysekera among others.
This is a full list of participating authors;
1. Alexander McCall Smith
2. Amit Chaudhuri
3. Ashok Ferry
4. Bachi Karkaria
5. Bruce Wannell
6. Channa Daswatte
7. Charulatha Abeysekara
8. Chimmi Moir Tenduf-La
9. David Dabydeen
10. Dillie Keane
11. Francesca Simon
12. Gananath Obeysekere
13. Hilali Noordeen
14. Jaina Sanga
15. Katharine Norbury
16. Kushanava Choudhury
17. Laaleen Sukhera
18. The Lord Puttnam
19. Maylis de Kerangal
20. Pankaj Mishra
21. Nayomi Munaweera
22. Richard Flanagan
23. Sebastian Faulks
24. Shankari Chandran
25. Shehan Karunatilleke
26. Shrabani Basu
27. Viviemarie Vanderpoorten
The second list of authors for the Festival is set to be announced mid November. For more information on the Festival, visit www.galleliteraryfestival.com for the full lineup of authors and other information!
Pics by Damith Wickramasinghe
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