Spotlight India

The much anticipated HSBC Galle Literary Festival 2012 will kick off this week. “The line-up is much bigger than it was last year,” says Festival Curator, Shyam Selvadurai, explaining that this year the festival spotlight is on India with sessions featuring multiple authors tied together under the title of Shashi Tharoor’s book – India: From Midnight to Millenium. “It was a perfect fit,” says Shyam, revealing how the choice of country evolved as the festival programme was developed.

Festival Director, Amrita Pieris is anticipating a good turnout – the numbers swelling thanks to those who will choose to take the fast track- the Southern expressway to make it to Galle.

Currently, many gourmet events are already sold out but tickets for events at the main festival venues such as Hall de Galle and Maritime Museum are available. “We’re ready to go,” she says.

Some of the writers might not stay for long. Participants in the Jaipur Literary Festival in North India which runs from January 20 – 24 will be leaving early. As a result, several big names have sessions on Thursday and Friday. This has worked to the GLF organisers’ advantage, says Shyam – “You could come on any day and see good authors – there’s a real spread of them across the four days.”

The programme itself features authors with very diverse interests, something which has pleased Shyam. “It was really fun putting together this programme,” he says, “My natural inclination is toward such diversity; unfortunately, you can’t always achieve it.”

With Richard Dawkins, Joanna Trollope, Tom Stoppard, John Boyne, Shashi Tharoor, D.B.C. Pierre, Romesh Gunasekera, Ingo Schulze Nayantara Sahgal, Aminatta Forna and Simon Sebag Montefiore being among the top draws, some late entries to the festival will also prove fascinating. Joining the GLF 2012 list are Ellah Allfrey, Deputy Editor of the literary magazine, Granta, Stephen Kelman – who was nominated for the 2011 Man Booker Prize for his debut novel, Pigeon English, British critic, novelist and biographer, D.J. Taylor who won the 2003 Whitbread Biography Award for his book on George Orwell and had his newest novel, Derby Day longlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize and American novelist and short story writer Susan Minot. Here are some of the sessions we’re looking forward to:

Thursday: (January 19) :

9 a.m.-10:30 a.m

Ingo Schulze

Romesh Gunesekera

Simon Sebag

Tom Stoppard

Nayantara Sahgal

Lemn Sissay

John Boyne

Shashi Tharoor

Richard Dawkins

Juliet Nicolson

Izzeldin Abuelaish

Joanna Trollope

D.B.C. Pierre

Josceline Dimbleby

Aminatta Forna

Katherine Frank

Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Responsibility in Literature (Free Event) A panel composed of Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish and Ingo Schulze, moderated by Dr. Stewart Motha, discuss literature’s response to this topical subject that grips Sri Lanka as well as many other nations in both the East and West.

11 a.m.-12 noon

Romesh Gunesekera on The Prisoner of Paradise (Maritime Museum), his newest novel. Set in Mauritius it introduces Lucy Gladwell who is drawn to Don Lambodar, a young translator from Ceylon. As the lives of these two young lovers weave together, there is a growing unease and unrest around them. For Lucy, for Don, for everyone in Mauritius, a devastating storm is coming. Moderator: Githa Hariharan

11 a.m.-12 noon

Simon Sebag Montefiore on Jerusalem: The Biography (Hall De Galle)

In this gripping history, that went straight to No.1 on the Non Fiction bestseller charts, Montefiore explores how a small, remote town became the Holy City, the ‘centre of the world’ and now the key to peace in the Middle East. From King David to Barack Obama, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to the Israel–Palestine conflict, this is the epic history of 3,000 years of faith, slaughter, fanaticism and coexistence. Moderator: Smriti Daniel

Tom Stoppard on His Life and Art

Few contemporary playwrights have a style so distinctive that their surname enters the language as an adjective. This multiple award winning playwright’s work deals with themes of human rights, censorship and political freedom. He is one of the most internationally performed dramatists of his generation. In this interview and talk, Stoppard discusses his work and his life in the theatre. Moderator: Tracy Holsinger.

Nayantara Sahgal on Prison and Chocolate Cake and Jawaharlal Nehru

The niece of Jawaharlal Nehru and the first cousin of Indira Gandhi, Sahgal’s memoir is a behind-the-scenes view of the freedom movement. Through the eyes of the young Sahgal, we see Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and others in an intimate, often surprising, way. Moderator: Eleanor Wachtel

Achinthya Bandara, Sandagomi Coperahewa and Malinda Seneviratne on Martin Wickramasinghe, His Life and Legacy. (Free Event)

This panel will feature younger writers and critics talking about the continuing impact of Martin Wickramasinghe’s work into the new generation. Moderator: Ariyawansa Ranaweera.

Lemn Sissay and the Compound Eye

Sissay will perform pieces from his play Something Dark and read from his poetry. The Compound Eye, will feature Eshantha Peiris on keyboards, Isaac Smith on double bass, and Sumudi Suraweera on drums.

Friday (January 20)

John Boyne on Mutiny on the Bounty.

This real-life mutiny aboard HMAV Bounty, led by Fletcher Christian against the ship’s captain, William Bligh, was made into a popular film starring Marlon Brando, in the 1960’s. Now, Boyne, in this rollicking sea adventure, examines the mutiny through the eyes of 14-year-old John Jacob Turnstile, Captain Bligh’s fictitious servant. Moderator: Roshi Fernando

Shashi Tharoor on The Elephant, the Tiger and the Cellphone: Reflections on India in the 21st Century.

Over the past 25 years, India has moved from a largely impoverished, country to an innovative, fast-changing society. In this entertaining and informative book, Tharoor, writer, diplomat and current Member of Parliament, offers precious insights into how a once sleeping giant transformed itself into a world leader in science and technology. Moderator: Sanjana Hattotuwa

Richard Dawkins on His Life and Work.

In this conversation that spans the career of one of the most interesting and controversial thinkers of our time, Richard Dawkins speaks about his shift from books strictly about ethology (The Selfish Gene, The Extended Phenotype) to books about religion (The God Delusion), and also what led him to write The Magic of Reality for children and young adults. Moderator: Deshan Tennekoon

Dickens Bicentenary Lecture: D.J. Taylor on Re-inventing the Victorians and his novel Derby Day.

Modern literary culture is obsessed with the Victorians. ‘Neo-Victorian Literature’ is the subject of university courses. But how do we unpick the myths that they devised for themselves and address the reality of Victorian life? In his talk, Taylor discusses some of the challenges involved in “Writing the Victorians” and the legacy they bequeathed to our own fictional worlds.

Juliet Nicolson on Vita Sackville West and Sissinghurst Castle.

Vita and Harold, two intensely creative individuals, were close friends with many members of the famous Bloomsbury Group, which included E.M Forster, T.S. Eliot, Leonard and Virginia Woolf (with whom Vita had an affair) and other luminaries. Their grand-daughter, writer Juliet Nicolson, examines the couple’s fascinating partnership, drawing on photographs from family albums and other sources. She also brings to life Sissinghurst Castle and its world famous gardens.

Saturday (January 21)

Trauma and Literature featuring Rachel Tribe, Ellah Allfrey, Aminatta Forna and Neluka Silva.
Can language ever describe or communicate a traumatic experience-the experience of war, or torture, or acute emotional distress? We try to write about such things, but the words can never capture the intensity and the significance of genuine trauma. Literature is, then, both impotent in the face of trauma and defined by the challenge it represents. Moderator: Morgan Meis

Izzeldin Abuelaish on I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey.
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish - now known simply as “The Gaza Doctor-” captured hearts and headlines around the world in the aftermath of horrific tragedy. On January 16, 2009, Israeli shells hit his home in the Gaza Strip, killing three of his daughters and a niece. In this international bestseller, Abuelaish gives us a heart-breaking yet hopeful account of a Gazan life in all its struggle and pain and speaks of his dream of peace. Moderator: Sanjana Hattotuwa.

Joanna Trollope on The Other Family and Daughters-in-Law.
Trollope’s best-selling The Other Family, like much of her work, deals with the family in crisis. Trollope’s latest best-seller, Daughters-in-Law, deals also with the impact of the outsider on a family. “Trollope uses her undoubtedly brilliant observational powers to illuminate brightly the absurdities of modern English life.” The Independent. Moderator: Ashok Ferrey

D.B.C. Pierre on his End Times Trilogy.
Booker Prize winning author Pierre discusses his End Times Trilogy. The author, whose pen name initials stand for “Dirty But Clean,” also discusses the lost decade in his life to drugs and alcohol and his journey out of that maze. Moderator: Morgan Meis

Floating Space performs My Other History (Free Event. Please note: Limited seating. Obtain a free ticket from the box office.) Set during Sri Lanka’s move toward political reconciliation, the play explores a Tamil family’s sense of belonging in the context of their experience of displacement, which also shapes their understandings of being patriotic or even their ability to love their country. As father and son struggle with trying to comprehend each other, the family moves through its evolving relationships, investigating how the past shapes the future, and how a person might attempt to move on.

A performance by the Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company which uses a blend of traditional Kathak with new movements (Free Event)

Sunday (January 22)

Josceline Dimbleby and David Thompson on A Taste of Wonderlust.
In this engaging panel on food writing, Dimbleby and Thompson take on the large subject of food writing and human needs- how love and food and security fuelled their own travels in Orchards in the Oasis and Thai Food respectively. Moderator: Geoffrey Dobbs

Big draw: Candace Bushnell, author of Sex and the City at last year’s GLF

Aminatta Forna on The Memory of Love. Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book 2011, Shortlisted for the Orange Prize 2011, The Memory Of Love transports us to an African city, where three lives will collide in a story about friendship, love and war that explores the indelible effects of the past and the nature of obsessive love. Moderator: Ameena Hussein.

12 noon-1p.m: Nayantara Sahgal and Katherine Frank on Indira Gandhi

Two biographers on one of the most iconic women in modern world history. From these two books emerges a portrait of a flawed leader, striving with a difficult personal and political legacy; a leader who left her indelible stamp on modern India. Moderator: Jayantha Dhanapala

Get your tickets fast

The festival dates are January 18 – 22. Tickets are priced at Rs.1,000 for events at the Hall de Galle and Maritime Museum. Prices vary for special events, but most gourmet sessions are Rs. 6,000. Day Passes are Rs.3,500 while a four-day Festival Pass is Rs.10,000. Conditions apply.

The Colombo and on-line box offices close on January 16: Get your tickets from Barefoot, 704 Galle Road Colombo 3 (Weekdays 10 a.m-5 p.m.) and on-line. Tickets will then be only available in Galle: Mama’s Rooftop Café, 76 Leyn Baan Street, Galle Fort (Weekdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.) and on-line at www.galleliteraryfestival.com. Both cash, cheques and credit cards are accepted. Mamma’s remains open until January 18th and on the 19th, the Festival box office relocates to the Sports Hall, adjacent to the Hall de Galle, the main festival venue.

Visit www.galleliteraryfestival.com for programme information or call 0770630507.