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The thirteenth edition of the much-awaited Lahore Literary Festival on the theme of enlightenment with writers and scholars coming from twelve countries of the world opens at the Alhamra Art Centre on Friday.

This edition of the three-day literary fest will open with the keynote address by historian Ayesha Jalal, the author of Muslim Enlightened Thought in South Asia, and Mary Richardson, professor of history at Tufts University. Her address will be followed by a session on historical methodologies and historical resources obtained by historians with input from Eduardo Manzano Moreno, a Spanish historian specialising in Al-Andalus, and Diana Darke, a Middle East cultural writer. BBC journalist Mishal Husain will chair the session.

Speaking to Dawn, Razi Ahmed, the chief executive officer of the LLF, said this edition of the festival features scholars from 12 countries besides Pakistan and the theme of this edition, enlightenment, is inspired by Jalal’s book.

He said the session after the keynote address would explore how literature and history intersected and how enlightenment could replace bigotry.

“There will be sessions on Punjabi as well as Urdu writers and writing with poets like Iftikhar Arif and Fatima Hasan flying from Islamabad and Karachi, respectively. Besides, there will be an Urdu mushaira to keep the rich cultural tradition of Urdu literature alive to make it a wholesome experience for people from all walks of life.”

Ahmed said a show on Pakistani architecture would focus on urban solutions vis-à-vis Lahore. Four parallel sessions will be held from Friday till Sunday, he said, adding that there will be other activities like a reading circle supported by the British Council.

Razi went on to say that since its inception, the LLF has galvanized young people into reading and increased their interest in our literary tradition, global voices and knowledge of other cultures and people to become more enlightened and tolerant. He added that it also played a role in making Lahore ‘the City of Literature’ as recognised by UNESCO.

When asked about the literary festivals happening in Lahore one after the other, he said every festival had its own importance and festivals happening back to back in Lahore did not affect the importance of any one of them.

BBC journalist Mishal Husain, art historians F.S. Aijazuddin and Susan Stronge, French novelist Lyane Guillaume — who has written a fictional book, Jahanara, on a daughter of Mughal emperor Shahjahan — will feature in another session.

Writers from different parts of the world are coming together to share their experiences of immersing in key metropolises: Berlin, Athens and Lahore. They include Berlin-based David Wagner, writer of Lives and Four Apples among other works, Greece-based fiction writer and host of podcast Athens Unpacked Sofka Zinovieff and Pakistani English language novelists Mohsin Hamid and Osama Siddique. Omar Shahid Hamid will also be a part of the festival along with other Pakistan writers like Awais Khan.

Special discussions are scheduled on the environment with experts sharing their opinions on the much-talked-about issue these days and topics will include feminist climate justice and sustainable living amid the climate crisis. A discussion will be held on the role of artists and activists regarding the climate crisis, featuring Nadia Jamil, Samiya Mumtaz and Abuzar Madhu, fighting a case for the Ravi river.

A session on how colonial violence alters visual objects, which in turn shapes how a society and culture relates to its own images will have Azza El-Hassan, a Palestinian professor of media practices at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. El-Hassan is also a documentary filmmaker. Hira Wasti Ahmed, founder and editor of Acacia Magazine, a New Print Magazine for the Muslim Left, will also be a part of this session.

This year’s schedule for the LLF includes separate sessions on Punjabi literature with Punjabi writers and poets including Nain Sukh, Zubair Ahmed, Zahid Hasan, Sughra Sadaf and Rai Muhammad Nasir while Urdu literature sessions will include Iftikhar Arif, Nasir Abbas Nayyar, Fatima Hasan, Nomanul Haq, Rafaqat Hayat and Sheeba Alam.

A discussion on women writers in Urdu literature will be a part of the festival with Noorul Huda Shah, Yasmeen Hammed, Neelum Ahmad Bashir and Sofia Baidar.

A session on identity will feature Asghar Nadeem Syed and Sughra Sadaf.

The Urdu mushaira will be held with a select number of poets with Iftikhar Arif among the prominent ones along with Yasmeen Hameed and Abbas Tabish.

Another session on women writers will have Feryal Gohar who will be a part of the discussion with international authors.

The pros and cons of AI will be discussed by international authors from the Western world, including Fatimah Asghar and Jessica Bruder. There will be two separate sessions on Sri Lankan literature with authors from the country. Portuguese author and journalist Teresa Nicolau will feature in the LLF in two sessions on separate days.

Originally published in Dawn, February 21st, 2025