NEWS | Islamabad Literature Festival to Kick Off on Tuesday

NEWS | Islamabad Literature Festival to Kick Off on Tuesday




Margala Hotel Islamabad
Photo by http://www.hotelstravel.com/Asia/PK/Islamabad/MargalaHotelIslamabad.html

  On Tuesday, scores of literary figures of the country will gather in Margallah Hotel Islamabad on the occasion of Islamabad Literature Festival. They will show the grandeur of the literature by discussing poetry, novels, dramas and many more. Intizar Hussain, the acclaimed writer, Zia Mohyeddin, the director, educator and artist and Kamila Shamsie, the young novelist would deliver the keynote speeches. Amjad Islama Amjad, the renowned poet, Rasul Bakhsh Raees, the social scientist, Asif Farrukhi the literary icon and many other would be there to share their thought-provoking ideas.
This two-day long festival is going to be organized by the Oxford University Press under the directions of Ameena Sayyid and Asif Farrukhi. A press release by the OUP reads “The Islamabad Literature Festival will open with a keynote address by Intizar Hussain, a finalist for the 2013 Man Booker Prize, who Nadeem Aslam described as being “the greatest living writer on earth.“ The closing keynote address will be delivered by the actor, director, educator, and cultural leading light, Zia Mohyeddin. A keynote speech will also be delivered by one of Granta’s Best of Young British novelists of 2013, Pakistan’s own Kamila Shamsie. In addition to established names such as these, Abdullah Hussain, Zehra Nigah and many others, the ILF will present many new and emerging Pakistani authors. For aspiring writers, H.M Naqvi and Irshad Abdul Kadir will share advice and insights in a session on how to write a novel. Literature in languages such as Pushto, Punjabi, Urdu, and Pakistani English will be discussed and celebrated. Nimra Bucha will conclude the Festival with her critically acclaimed performance of Mohammed Hanif’s play, “The Dictator's Wife.”
This unique festival of its kind will bring literary figures, anchor persons, students and many literature lovers together. Many other events like book fair, author signing, food court and Batein aur Mulaqatein will embellish this festival.