Global authors, diverse themes to take centre stage at US, Canada editions of Jaipur Lit Fest

New York, The US and Canadian editions of Jaipur Literature Festival will bring together over 100 global voices across seven cities next month, including author-politician Shashi Tharoor and Pulitzer-winning writer Kai Bird.

The Jaipur Literature Festival is an annual literary festival held in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Its international editions are held across Australia, Europe, North America, Ireland, the UK and West Asia, taking the spirit of the festival to global audiences while bringing together South Asian literary traditions and local cultures.

JLF USA and JLF Toronto will run from September 11 to October 4 across North Carolina, Los Angeles, Seattle, Colorado, Toronto, New York and Houston, marking the festival's largest presence yet in North America, JLF USA said in a statement on Tuesday.

More than 100 writers, thinkers, historians, artists, entrepreneurs and other cultural voices are expected to participate in discussions on artificial intelligence, technology, geopolitics, history, empire, Indigenous rights, climate change, faith, migration, diaspora, entrepreneurship, art and food.

"From discussions on the impact of AI on work, culture and society to conversations on the changing global balance of power, the program explores many of the ideas shaping contemporary life," the statement said.

Among the prominent speakers are Tharoor, Bird, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, Booker Prize-winning author Yann Martel, Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, author Sam Dalrymple, diplomat-author Lakshmi Puri, economist Arvind Subramanian, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Vijay Seshadri and Indian-American businessman Kanwal Rekhi.

The seven-city programme begins in North Carolina from September 11-13, followed by Los Angeles from September 14-16, Seattle from September 17-20, Colorado from September 22-23, Toronto from September 25-26, New York from September 29-30 and Houston from October 2-4.

The programme will also feature a travelling visual art exhibition by documentary photographer Vicky Roy, with his work to be presented in Los Angeles and Seattle, the organisers said.

At a virtual press preview, Teamwork Arts Managing Director Sanjoy K Roy, whose company produces the Jaipur Literature Festival, said its global editions aim to create a platform for discussion, debate and dissent while promoting knowledge and innovation.

Responding to a question on the themes of the US and Canadian editions, Roy told PTI that the programmes would vary from city to city depending on local audiences, institutions and collaborators.

"Every city obviously has a different need, and even in some cities, different venues have different needs," he said, adding that the festival builds its programme around the character of each host city.

The organisers said working with local institutions and cultural organisations was a defining feature of the international festival, making each edition a series of locally rooted encounters rather than a uniform touring programme.

Roy said around 35 per cent of the festival's programming is fiction, while nearly 65 per cent is non-fiction, covering areas ranging from mathematics and science to history, politics, sociology,