Festival of Literature ?to attract 100 authors

Thursday, Feb 23, 2012
Gulf News
Dubai It’s that time of year when Dubai’s book lovers will get a chance to sit and talk with some of the world’s most popular authors.

For five days beginning on March 6, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (LitFest) will bring together more than 100 authors from 25 different countries with some 30,000 visitors in the Middle East’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word.

Now in its fourth year, the LitFest is being held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. The festival will have two opening programmes on March 6, beginning with a VIP opening ceremony at 11am at Al Mamzar Theatre Dubai Cultural and Scientific Association.

Prepare to be enchanted on March 6 at the event’s opening night, “A Magical Evening of Words and Music,” from 8pm with the popular European radio host Terry Wogan. Joining him that evening are Imtiaz Dharker, distinguished Indian poet and writer, John Agard, prize-winning poet, playwright and children’s writer, Yang Lian, leading contemporary Chinese poet, and Daljit Nagra, 2011 T.S. Eliot Prize nominee.

Budding writers

Hundreds of masterclasses, workshops, and sessions will seek to answer questions on cookery, travel, art, sport, business, horror, popular fiction and Islamic art, among others.

Budding writers too have a chance for their work to be recognised through literary prizes. Festival organisers have confirmed the panel for the literary prize session called Glittering Prizes: the Impact of Literary Prizes on Writers and Readers, on March 10 at Al Ras 1, InterContinental Hotel.

The audience will get a chance to sit with award-winning novelists Romesh Gunesekera, Mark Billingham, and editorial director Meru Gokhale, for discussions on how literary prizes can transform a writer’s life and help distinguish them from the rest of the pack. The panel will be chaired by Rosie Goldsmith. The broad experience of the panel members on ‘the prizes game’ will help participants understand how books are judged and how prizes impact writers and readers.

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For more information on workshops and discussions, visit www.emirateslitfest.com.

By Janice Ponce De Leon?Staff Reporter

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