The Karachi Literature Festival, whose 13th iteration is going to be held from Friday at the Beach Luxury Hotel for three days, is an important event because it set in motion in Pakistan the tradition of taking the world of literature and language to a mass platform, diminishing the distance between readers and writers.
The 2022 edition of KLF promises to be a worthy affair. Although the number of participating countries doesn’t seem to be a formidable one, the speakers belong to the top tier of the literary world. Renowned author and historian Victoria Schofield is the keynote speaker on an opening day. Eminent British novelist and short story writer Hanif Kureishi always impresses the Karachi crowd with his candid conversations. He will be delivering the keynote speech on the last day of the festival.
The organisers needed to be commended ifor inviting distinguished artist and President Emeritus of the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) Zia Mohyeddin to deliver the second keynote speech on day one. His admirers for at least five decades have been listening to him recite pieces of Urdu poetry and read Shakespeare on stage; this time around he will express his views on, one’s only conjecturing, the efficacy of literature.
The second keynote address on the final day will be delivered by a former president of Azad Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan. He is known for his eloquence and clarity of thought.
There will be over 60 sessions, including 20 book launches (10 in Urdu and 10 in English), with speakers from five countries (Pakistan, UK, US, New Zealand, and France). Visitors and the online audience will also have the chance to enjoy Urdu and English poetry readings, a qawwali, a feature film screening, and the first-ever airing of a series of short films, Let’s Heal the World.
A total of seven literary awards for Pakistani authors will be announced at the opening ceremony. The prizes will recognize pioneering work in Urdu prose and poetry, and English fiction, which is sponsored by Getz Pharma. This year, KLF is also celebrating the diversity of languages and cultures across the country by recognizing the best books in the Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi, and Pashto languages. These awards are supported by the Little Book Company.
