JLF Adelaide is the only Australian satellite event for the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) which returns with three days of transnational celebration and cultural exchange at Adelaide Festival Centre from 1 – 3 November.
Across 40 free events, JLF Adelaide will bring together more than 60 writers, thought leaders, activists and artists from India, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, The Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The program will celebrate Asia’s stories, heritage and rich culture while also exploring Australia’s place in the region – including the shared interests, understanding and relationships with global powers India and China.
Presenters from India this year include JLF co-director William Dalrymple who will be touring Australia from 28/10 to launch his new book The Anarchy: Rise and Fall of the East India Company. Other Indian highlights are:
- Shashi Tharoor is an award-winning author of 18 books of fiction and non-fiction, including Inglorious Empire and the recently published The Paradoxical Prime Minister. A third-term Member of Parliament representing Thiruvananthapuram, Dr Tharoor has served as Minister of State for Human Resource Development and for External Affairs in the Government of India.
- Manisha Koirala is one of India’s leading film actors. Born in Nepal, Koirala made her Bollywood debut with Saudagar in 1991 and went on to establish herself in films such as 1942: A Love Story, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Bombay, Khamoshi: The Musical, Dil Se, Mann, Lajja and Company.
She took a break from acting in 2012 to return five years later with the coming-of-age drama Dear Maya, Netflix’s Lust Stories and Sanju. She was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund in 1999 and2015, and was involved in the relief works after the Nepal earthquake. She promotes causes such as women’s rights, prevention of human trafficking and cancer awareness. Koirala was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 and has been cancer-free since 2015.
- Arundhathi Subramaniam is an award-winning Indian poet. Her book When God is a Traveller was the Season Choice of the Poetry Book Society, shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. Her new book of poems is Love Without a Story. As an editor, her most recent book is the anthology of Bhakti poetry, Eating God. As a prose writer, her books include The Book of Buddha, Sadhguru: More Than a Life and Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga, co-authored with contemporary mystic Sadhguru.
- Abhishek Thapar (IND/Netherlands)is a theatre maker, performer, puppeteer and artist based in Amsterdam. He holds a post-graduate diploma in Physical Theatre from LISPA, London and a Master’s in Theatre from DAS Theatre, Amsterdam. He is currently building an artistic research and practice in post-colonial epistemologies, historiographic metafiction and storytelling. Abhishek is performing at Oz Asia.
- Tony Joseph is the author of Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From. He has been a journalist, columnist and contributor to leading newspapers and magazines for over three decades. He was the Editor of BusinessWorld, Associate Editor of Business Standard and Features Editor of The Economic Times.
- Paul Zacharia has published over 50 works of fiction and non-fiction in Malayalam. His English novel A Secret History of Compassion was published this year. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including accolades from the Indian Academy of Literature. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Literature in the state of Kerala.
The full JLF Adelaide program can be viewed at www.ozasiafestival.com.au/jlf.