Learn about the 2020 Jaipur Literature Festival Happening November 27 to 29

When Teamwork Arts, producer of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, launched JLF Toronto last year, 5,000 people from all over North America enjoyed the intercultural conversations that combined South Asia’s unique literary heritage with Canada’s diverse literary legacy. This year, JLF Toronto will be virtual, uniting Canadians with a global audience in the compelling magic of great conversation and insightful dialogue. Authors, poets, historians, journalists, politicians, chefs and screenplay writers will gather online over the course of three days to discuss a range of topics – something for everyone, and all FREE of charge! 

Full Programme details here.

JLF Toronto 2020 opens with From A to Z: The Meaning of Everything, a fascinating and humorous conversation between author Simon Winchester and renowned politician and author Shashi Tharoor on the origins and eccentricities of the English language.

On Saturday, in Tyrant, Pulitzer prize-winning author, Stephen Greenblatt discusses how demagogues, enablers, and a society in crisis fascinated Shakespeare and how this remains vitally relevant today. This is followed by Crossover Narratives with best-selling authors Ann Cleeves, Emma Donoghue, and novelist and playwright Anosh Irani discussing creative collaborations that enable the movement from script to screen. (Presented by Torkin Manes LLP).

Later that afternoon, Journeys to Selfhood will bring together two heartwarming accounts of the power of resilience, tenacity, and courage from author and broadcaster Harnarayan Singh, and author and entrepreneur Samra Zafar.  Uninhabitable Earth will feature journalist David Wallace-Wells, and author and explorer James Raffan discussing the grave environmental crisis and how to mitigate the greatest challenge humanity faces today.

Sunday’s lineup will include Burning the Books: A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge with Richard Ovenden, author and chief librarian of the Bodleian, Oxford, Vickery Bowles, City Librarian, Toronto Public Library, and Sharmila Sen, author and Editorial Director, Harvard University Press.

For the theatre buff, Mahabharata: Adapting Ancient Myth for Modern Theatre. famed mythologist, and illustrator Devdutt Pattanaik joins theatre artists and writers Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes to discuss this ancient text and provide a sneak-peek into the creation of the stage adaptation including its Bhagavad Gita mini-opera. (Presented by Why Not Theatre, Shaw Festival and Canadian Opera Company.) 

For the foodie, authors and celebrated chefs Meeru Dhalwala, co-founder of Vij’s and Asma Khan (Netflix Chef’s Table), are joined by chef and activist Joshna Maharaj for a discussion on their interpretations of food, ingredients, and recipes at a session entitled Food, Memory and Culture.

Finally, in Footloose: The Travel Session, British journalist and broadcaster Anthony Sattin, poet and novelist Ruth Padel, travel writer Will Ferguson, and journalist Monisha Rajesh will discuss the relevance of travel writing in the age of the internet and the impact of the pandemic with writer, historian and Jaipur Literature Festival Co-director William Dalrymple.

The Festival will also showcase Canadian Poets - Hasan Namir, Bahar Orang, John Elizabeth Stintzi, six emerging poets from Canadian universities, and two delightful children’s storytelling sessions on Weaving a Tale, and Shadow Puppetry.