Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2016 Announces Author Lineup
With the Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2016 set to take place over three weeks in January, the festival announced the lineup of authors, poets and other participants at a media briefing held earlier this week.
Group Director and COO of Fairway Holdings Shivanka De Zoysa addressing the gathering.
“This is our first year as the main sponsor of this important event in the literary calendar of Sri Lanka, and I am pleased to say that we hope to be associated with this festival in the long term in the hope of not only recognizing the best literary efforts in Sri Lanka but to promote Sri Lankan arts and culture to the world,” said Shivanka De Zoysa – Group Director / Chief Operating Officer of Fairway Holdings, whilst addressing the gathering.
He further added that along with the festival, Fairway Holdings has also introduced the annual Fairway National Literary Awards, for authors to have their novels published in Sinhala, Tamil and English, and by far they’ve received 89 entries. “The rewards and recognition offered for the chosen works are attractive and we are confident that they will encourage more and more budding writers to submit their work in the coming years,”
Festival Founder Geoffrey Dobbs speaking at the media briefing.
“With the unveiling of our headlining talent, both authors and other artists, we truly prove that the Galle Literary Festival is back at the same level despite our three year hiatus. In fact, I feel that our absence from Asia’s literary calendar has not gone unnoticed, with many asking when this literary festival will be back. I think we can now truthfully say that not only are we back but, thanks to a stellar author and programme lineup, we are undoubtedly better than ever,” expressed Geoffrey Dobbs, Founder of the Festival.
Festival Director Amrita Peiris and Festival Manager Natasha Thompson revealing the lineup.
Celebrated, award winning international authors such as Sebastian Faulks, Meera Syal, Hugh Thomson, Sonali Deraniyagala and Mona Arshi are included in the lineup for the Festival, in addition to Gregory Pardlo, winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and Claudia Rankine, New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Forward Prize for Citizen : An American Lyric. The Festival will also showcase a large contingent of Asian region authors such as Anuradha Roy, Jeet Thayil, Professor Sayed Islam and Samath Subramanium, whilst 2012 Commonwealth Prize winner and DSC Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka, poet Ariyawansa Ranaweera and Jayatilaka Kammallaweera – one of Sri Lanka’s most accomplished authors will represent Sri Lanka.
Keeping the literary features aside, the Festival will also highlight Fiona Shaw, from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, filmmaker Visakesa Chandrasekaram, the Chamber Music Society of Colombo ensemble, led by violinist Lakshman Joseph de Saram, theatre group The Grassrooted Trust, Malaysian-Australian rapper, poet and first-time author Omar Musa, and Soul Sounds. Talks and exhibitions on architecture will also be held during the Festival, in addition to food-based events will the attendance of MasterChef Italy runner up Almo Bibolotti, New York-based Executive Chef Charles Disanayake and author of “Made In India : Cooked in Britain : Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen” Meera Sodha.
The title sponsor of the Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2016 is Fairway Holdings, and print media sponsors are Daily Mirror, the Sunday Times, Daily FT and Hi Magazine.
A full listing of authors is available on www.galleliteraryfestival.com. The Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2016 will be held in Kandy, from January 8-10, in Galle from the 13-17, and in Jaffna on the 23 and 24.
By Sarah Kellapatha
Photographs by Kushan Pathiraja
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