Words: Tina Edward Gunawardhana
Billed as one of the most famous literary festivals in the world thanks in part to its beautiful and historical setting within the UNESCO heritage site of the Galle Fort, The Galle Literary Festival (GLF) makes a comeback in 2024 after a hiatus of a few years.
During the 25th to the 28th of January 2024, the Galle Fort will be transformed into a harbour of discovery where tales will arrive on tides… albeit in the form of a wide array of impressive names from the literary world.
During the GLF, the walled fort is filled with literary aficionados who attend many of the events which range from readings by authors, lunches/dinners with authors, recitals, performances, food tasting, art and culture trails and so much more. The GLF is one place where you can see world famous authors mingle with literary lovers with no standing on ceremony.
Geoffrey Dobbs is credited with being the founder of the Galle Literary Festival which over the years has brought in many great names from the literary world to our shores. This year Giselle Harding assumes the mantle as Festival Director. She is also the co-owner of Wild and Sage a bookstore and creative hub based in Galle.
Speaking on the activities planned for the GLF Harding says “outside of our usual literary and cultural sessions, we will see a return of the Art Trail, featuring pop-up exhibitions, artist talks and private viewings around Galle Fort. There is also a really diverse selection of social and cultural events going on, from classical recitals and documentary screenings to comedy and jazz nights. I’m particularly excited about the evolution of our culinary events, which now take place across 3 months with
12 international chefs attending – look out for the ‘Gourmet Galle’ announcements coming soon.” Focusing on the importance of the GLF especially for the younger readers Giselle adds “festivals such as this nurture a reading culture. Youth events are the most critical to ensuring a long-lasting impact on the publishing industry in
Sri Lanka. Students see authors as rock stars, kids see parents sitting down with a book and tots associate reading with fun. That’s how to grow an industry, and it’s why the Festival schedule features plenty of workshops and sessions for younger guests.”
Returning to the GLF is my personal Literary idol British journalist and author Christina Lamb. Speaking of her last appearance at the GLF she says “I came before in 2017 and loved the atmosphere. It was my first visit to Galle and to Sri Lanka and I fell in love with the town, the food and the people - and the country, so am keen to come back and see more of it. My 83 year old mum toured Sri Lanka in a mini-bus with some fellow OAPS in April and can’t stop talking about it.” Apart from attending as an author, as a reader Lamb is looking forward to meeting her fellow authors such as Sebastian Faulks, Mary Beard, Moni Mohsin and Peter Frankopan. “Nujeen Mustafa is the most amazing person I know, But the best thing is discovering the work of people I don’t know, particularly from different places” she adds.
Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilake leads the Sri Lankan contingent of authors and will no doubt be the star of the GLF, however there remains a clutch of other Sri Lankan writers who will also make an appearance.
Chiranthi Rajapakse has many strings in her bow. A qualified dentist, who has worked as a journalist and communications officer amongst other roles, Chiranthi is looking forward to the festival because “festivals help you connect with other readers and writers, and make it feel like that you are part of a community, which is great. It gives you a bit of oxygen to keep going.”
Children’s author Nizrana Farook’s series of books titled Serendib is doing extraordinarily well in the UK. The GLF resonates with her because “Galle is the setting of one of my books (The Boy Who Met a Whale) so it feels doubly special. She confesses she is excited to see Peter Frankopan, Afua Hirsch, Mary Beard, Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, Shehan Karunatilaka, Anthony Horowitz, Ameena Hussein and fellow children’s programme speakers Jasbinder Bilan and Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Keen to ensure the longevity of the Festival, Farook says it is important “to keep things affordable for festival-goers, showcasing a wide variety of creators, and catering to different tastes and ages”
Stand up comedy artist Vidura Bandara Rajapakse who has quite a following amongst the European comedy circuit is another draw at the GLF. Apart from seeing and hearing his idol Shehan Karunatilake, Vidura says “There is a networking aspect at these festivals, which I’m not good at and want to get better at!”
Moni Mohsin is another author who sees the GLF as an opportunity to interact with readers and meet other writers. She finds the Q and A session particularly interesting because they allow her to understand how readers have engaged with her work which is often quite different to how editors think of her novels or indeed professional publicists who market them. Talking about how social media is discouraging people to read, Mohsin says “Instagram and TikTok are not reality; they are false, superficial narratives of shiny happy lives. If you really want to understand what other people’s lives are like or how they think and feel, you have to go to fiction. It’s the closest you can come to placing yourself in someone else’s shoes.
