The ninth edition of Bangalore Literature Festival will be held at the Bangalore International Centre, Domlur, on December 12 and 13.
The festival is open to everyone, and will also be live-streamed on Zoom. The number of people allowed at the venue is limited,
however.
Shinie Antony, festival founder and director, says, “The festival is a small step in the direction of reclaiming old times.”
Authors at the festival include Alexander McCall Smith, Jeffrey Archer, Moni Mohsin, Declan Walsh, Vivek Shanbhag, Chetan Bhagat, Sudha Murty, Rohini Nilekani, Anuja Chauhan and Milind Soman.
Srikrishna Ramamoorthy, co-founder, says not being able to do any children’s events is a drawback. “Parents will not be comfortable bringing their young ones along,” he says.
Sessions cover 80 authors and speakers. Books are on sale at the venue. The halls are ventilated spaces and will only have 50 per cent occupancy, according to Shinie.
‘Miss the crowds’
Bengaluru author Nandita Bose, who has two sessions, is excited the festival is back.
“I will miss the crowds and the interactions. During earlier editions, I have met some superstar writers. This time, it is a niche audience,” she says.
Writer Andaleeb Wajid is part of two sessions, one of them with Sudha Murthy where she discusses the latter’s book ‘Grandparents’ Bag of Stories.’ Tony Francis, author of ‘The Autograph Seeker’, says the festival is a sign of “actually getting back to normal.”
When
Dec 12 and 13, from 10 am. Entry is free but registration is recommended.
Where
Bangalore
International Centre, Domlur, and online via Zoom.
How
Check schedule of events and sign up on the Bangalore Literature Festival website.
Also check out blrlitfest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Video recordings of the sessions will be posted on YouTube.