Returning for its 15th edition, Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2024 is set to be held from November 15-17 at the NCPA in Nariman Point with over 125 writers, speakers, thinkers and performers from 13 countries. The three-day literary festival promises to once more regale audiences with lively and stimulating sessions across a wide variety of subjects ranging from poetry to business, history to conservation, society to travel, science fiction to entertainment, and beyond.
This year’s stellar line up will include Arundhathi Subramaniam, Christopher Merrill, Farrukh Dhondy, Gautam Bhatia, Gulzar, Huma Qureshi, Hussain Zaidi, Ila Arun, Jane Goodall, Jane Ohlmeyer, L Subramaniam, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Marcus du Sautoy, Mohinder Amarnath, Murzban Shroff, Pavan K Verma, Prajakta Koli, Pico Iyer, Ranjit Hoskote, Shahu Patole, Subhash Ghai, William Dalrymple.
The festival highlights of The Great Debate, the prestigious Lifetime, Poet Laureate and Literary Awards, Book in Focus, book launches and daily dramatic performances will continue to feature. The Rotary Writing for Peace Award, the Sultan Padamsee Awards for Playwriting and the Binod Kanoria Awards for Children’s Literature will be announced. The keenly awaited book swap, daily workshops and campus outreaches for college students will also be held.
Every year the Litfest mounts a new experience for its visitors. This year’s is a specially created Virtual Reality installation, that places the viewer right in the middle of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. The book is also this year’s Book in Focus at the Festival, to commemorate the author’s 100th death anniversary.
The Little Festival, a special Litfest for children of ages 8 to 14 from city schools and NGOs, will be held simultaneously on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 November at the NCPA in collaboration with the H T Parekh Foundation, presenting children’s books by Indian and international writers. Unique features will be bilingual sessions, the moderation of discussions by children, a Literary Zone for storytelling, and nature walks.
Celebrating this landmark year, festival co-director Amy Fernandes said, “The Literature Live! Mumbai Litfest was started by Anil Dharker, ably supported by Shashi Baliga. in 2010, both of whom tragically left us in 2021. Every year we bring to Mumbai a memorable cast of world class thinkers, writers, and speakers in almost every field of human thought and action. As we reach the milestone of 15 unbroken years, we are proud of having kept the Festival running even through the pandemic years by going online, then hybrid. We are grateful to our presenting sponsor Godrej Industries for their support in sustaining this vital cultural endeavour, and to NCPA, Kotak and all our partners who have steadfastly supported us on this journey”.
Quasar Thakore Padamsee, festival co-director said, “I have been associated with Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest since its inception and consider it a privilege to have participated in and witnessed its journey to the iconic status it has justifiably achieved. Over the years we have held a series of fantastic literary events, and most critically have built a vital platform of diversity, inclusivity, and innovation. In a convenient turn of numbers, this is a double celebration year as art management company QTP (of which I am a part), who produce the Festival, is celebrating its silver jubilee. I hope this most fitting and happy association continues well into the future.”
Nadir Godrej, chairperson, Godrej Industries Group, said, “Godrej Industries Group is pleased to associate with Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest as the presenting sponsor. Our commitment to supporting and nurturing the literary arts aligns with our belief in the power of conversations and culture to inspire and connect communities. We look forward to fostering creativity, dialogue, and a deeper appreciation for literature through this cherished partnership.”
Some past participants are A C Grayling, Adil Jussawalla, Alexander McCall Smith, Anita Desai, Amitabh Bachchan, Amitav Ghosh, Amy Tan, Anthony Horowitz, Christophe Jaffrelot, David Baldacci, Geetanjali Shree, Germaine Greer, Gieve Patel, Irwin Allan Sealy, Indra Nooyi, Javed Akhtar, Jeffrey Archer, Mahesh Elkunchwar, Margaret Drabble, Mark Tully, Marlon James, Miriam Margolyes, Neena Gupta, Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby, Raghuram Rajan, Ramachandra Guha, Roger Penrose, Ruskin Bond, Salman Rushdie, Shashi Tharoor, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Steven Pinker, Sudha Murty, T M Krishna, Thomas Friedman.
