Beginning on January 11, about 400 writers from nine different nations will assemble along the Kozhikode beach in Kerala to participate in the seventh edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF).

An array of writers, actors, intellectuals, and activists will take part in sessions and discussions during the four-day festival, which is organized by the DC Kizhakemuri Foundation and co-promoted by DC Books, on a variety of subjects, including science and technology, literature, art, gender, cinema, culture, and the environment.

“The seventh edition of the Kerala Literature Festival is expected to be a grand celebration of literature and culture with Turkey as the guest country of honour, featuring their literature and art forms. The UK, Wales, Spain, Japan, USA, Malaysia, Spain, and France will be the other participating countries,” said the organisers in a statement.

Among the writers attending the event are award-winning playwright-author Catherine Ann Jones, historian William Dalrymple, Booker Prize-winner Arundhati Roy, ad maestro Prahlad Kakar, politician-turned-politician Mani Shankar Aiyar, and politician-turned-author Shashi Tharoor.
In addition to literary sessions, TM Krishna and Vikku Vinayakram will perform, and Padmabhushan Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee will perform surbahar and sitar concerts.

KLF, which bills itself as one of Asia’s biggest literary festivals, reported that attendance at its most recent event topped 5 lakh.