Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), founded in 2016, is an annual literary festival held on the beaches of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. The Festival on the beach is a non-aligned platform, committed to providing an open and liberal forums for debates and discussion to foster progressive discourses. The sixth edition of KLF is scheduled for 2023 January 12–15. Kerala Literature Festival is organized by the DC Kizhakemuri Foundation, a philanthropic organization founded in 2001 as a tribute to late D.C. Kizhakemuri a freedom fighter, social activist, writer - publisher considered as the doyen of Indian publishing, and known as the father of paperback revolution in India, who took books to the masses. He was instrumental in the abolishment of sales tax on books. Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) is endorsed and supported by the Government of Kerala, Kerala Tourism and Culture Department. Renowned poet – critic Prof. K. Satchidanandan is the Festival Director along with Publisher Ravi Deecee of DC Books is the Chief Facilitator. The editorial team of DC Books works closely with KLF on the content.
History, timeline
2024
The 7th edition of KLF will be held from January 11-15, 2024. More than 500 writers from various nations are expected to take part in the event.
2023
The sixth edition of KLF is scheduled from 12- 15 January 2023. The festival is returning to the beaches of Calicut after a two-year hiatus due to pandemic and promises to be grand celebration. KLF will host Nobel Laureates, Oscar winners, Booker Prize recipients and other literary luminaries and celebrities from across the world. More than 400 speakers including bestselling writer Jeffrey Archer, Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Ada Yonath, Piyush Pandey, Francesc Miralles, Geethanjali Shree, Wendy Doniger, Ramachandra Guha, Palanivel Thiagarajan, Sanjeev Sanyal, Anand Neelakantan, Shashi Tharoor, Manu S. Pillai, Prakash Raj, and Shobhaa De will be part of KLF 2023.
2021 – e KLF
The virtual festival was a step towards building international relations during the devastating pandemic. The digital edition also witnessed an International Poetry Festival with over 50 poets from more than 10 countries including Palestine, Israel, South Africa, Italy, United States of America, Ireland. The sessions were premiered on YouTube and Facebook pages.
2020
The fifth edition was held from 16 to 19 January 2020, at Kozhikode Beach, with the presence of artists, actors, celebrities, writers, thinkers, and activists, discussing literature, art, cinema, culture, dance, music, environment, science, and technology. Cultural nights include fireside chats by acts and performing artists from around the world. Speakers at the previous editions include Arundhati Roy, Richard Stallman, Noam Chomsky (Video), Yuval Noah Harari (Video), Sadhguru, Romila Thapar, Ramachandra Guha, Shashi Tharoor, Rakesh Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Chetan Bhagath, Karan Thapar, Rajdeep Sardesai, Sobhaa De and Sagarika Ghose. In addition to literature, topics include environment and climate change. Spain was the guest nation, and Tamil literature was featured. The festival is open to the public and is non-exclusive and an open platform for discussions and idea exchanges.
2019
The fourth edition of the festival was held from 10 to 13 January 2019, at Kozhikode Beach with 500 + renowned authors, discussions, poetry festival, music, dance, movie screenings and photo exhibitions. Wales was chosen as the guest nation. Set in five tracks- Ezhuthola, Aksharam, Thulika , Vaaku, Vellithira. Kijote Kathakali by Ignacio Garcia, Sufi Rock Outfit Alif featuring Ulrike Almut Sandig, Russian Music & Dance, Concert by L Subramaniam, Steffan Donnely performed a bilingual piece of contemporary theater, Qawwali night by Mystic Sufiana Mehfil were some of the defining moments of KLF 2019. Richard Stallman, Yuval Noah Harrari, Shashi Tharoor ,Satish Aalekar, Keki Daruwala, Chetan Bhagat, Caryl Lewis, Ravinder Singh Jeet Thayil attended the festival.
2018
The third edition of the festival was held from 8–11 February 2018, at Kozhikode Beach. KLF 2018 was inaugurated by Arundhati Roy, MT Vasudevan Nair and Prakash Raj. The event was supported by the Kerala State Government and the Kerala Tourism Department, and by the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation and the district administration. The Kochi Muziris Biennale was an integral part of the festival. Guest nation for the year was Ireland (represented by Gabriel Rosenstock, Paddy Bushe, Liam Carson, Alan Titley, Amanda Bell, and Conor Kostick). Romila Thapar, Ashis Nandy, Sagarika Ghose, Rajdeep Sardesai, Noam Chomsky, Rishi Kapoor participated.