Oxford University Press to hold first Islamabad Literature Festival
ISLAMABAD: “Encouraged by the remarkable success of the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) over the past four years, Oxford University Press is glad to announce the 1st Islamabad Literature Festival – ILF which will be held on April 30th to May 1st, 2013.”
This announcement was made by Ameena Saiyid OBE, Managing Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan and Founder/Director, Karachi Literature Festival (KLF).
Referring to KLF details, Saiyid said that in 2010 there were 34 sessions, 35 speakers, 5,000 participants; in 2011 there were 46 sessions, 102 speakers, 10,000 participants; in 2012 there were 61 sessions, 138 speakers; 15,000 participants. In 2013 there were 148 sessions, 211 speakers, 50,000 participants.
In KLF 2013, writers from nine countries: Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Nepal, Russia, the UK, and the USA were represented in addition to those from Pakistan.
Ameena Saiyid highlighted that like the annual KLF, Islamabad Literature Festival – ILF would also be about the promotion of books, reading and of enriching minds.
“We want to leverage on the success of the four KLFs and take the festival to other parts of the country so that more people get an opportunity to celebrate the written word and be exposed to some of the finest Pakistani writers and their works. Based on this idea, the ILF aims to provide the writers and people of North Pakistan a forum to interact, exchange ideas, and engage in dialogues, discussions, and readings” she said.
She further added that through such literature festivals, OUP intends to create an intellectual space in which the diversity and pluralism in Pakistani society is expressed by authors, from traditions both within and beyond Pakistan’s borders.
In this regard, the Islamabad Literature Festival will feature debates, discussions, interviews, talks, a mushairah, dastangoi, a book fair, book launches, readings, and signings. Some of the notable authors who will be participating in ILF include Mohammed Hanif, Muneeza Shamsie, Kishwar Naheed, Iftikhar Arif, Amjad Islam Amjad, Tariq Rahman, Intizar Husain, Mustansar Hussain Tarar, and Abdullah Hussain. Pervez Hoodbhoy, Maleeha Lodhi, Nasim Zehra, Fouzia Saeed and Riaz Khan have also been invited.
Source: Daily Times
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