The digital chapter of the Times Literature Festival, popularly known as Times LitFest, is already on, on-line. It began on 27 August and will continue 17 October 2021. Bibliophiles and literary enthusiasts are taking advantage in the ongoing cultural extravaganza that features engaging interviews and panel discussions with both debutante and celebrated authors from across the globe.
The two-month long literary carnival features close to 70 virtual episodes and 20 interactive workshops with sessions every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. More than 100 authors are participating in the literature festival. The fifteen international chart-topping authors including 2020 Booker Prize winner Douglas Stuart, Jeffery Archer, Beth Reekles, Prof Jonathan De Quick, Guy Raz, Kjell Ola Dhal, Tom Holland, Kevin Barry, Sinead Gleeson, Tiffany Tavernier, Rutger Bregman, John Zubrzycki, and Shannon Lee.
Indian biggies at the literary fest include Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Ravinder Singh, Amish Tripathi, Salman Rushdie, Devdutt Pattanaik, Shobhaa De, Ira Mukhoty, Anita Nair, Shashi Tharoor, Chetan Bhagat, Gaur Gopal Das, and Anand Neelakantan, among others.
Cinema driven by literature
The literary festival will witness huge participation from the Bollywood brigade with beauty queen and actor Priyanka Chopra talking about her memoir ‘Unfinished,’ and Anupam Kher recounting his journey during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in his recently released book ‘Your Best Day Is Today!’
Screen adaptations of best-selling novels are the growing trend in the Indian cinema with its film industries spread across centers in the country such as Tollywood, Bollywood, and several other linguistic regions and states. The Times LitFest will also feature a panel discussion with Piyush Jha, Ridhi Dogra and Ekta Kapoor in conversation with Manju Kapoor on the transformation of a literary piece into a moving motion picture.
Book launches, readings and specifically designed workshops will be other attractions at the digital literature meet. The virtual edition of the Times LitFest is all set to transform the way readers engage with literary works and creators.
Register yourself for the event here and keep yourself updated on what’s happening in the Indian literary sphere and cultural space.