17th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival to begin from Jan 9

Kolkata, Dec 8 (PTI) The 17th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF), one of the major literary events of the city, will be held from January 9-11 next year, the organisers said on Monday.

The three-day event will offer a vibrant blend of literature, cinema, music, history, politics, food, culture and discourse on contemporary social issues.

A stellar ensemble of writers, thinkers, performers and public figures including Akshay Jaitley, Anand Neelakantan, Anita Agnihotri, Aparna Sen, Bachi Karkaria, Brinda Karat, Shashi Tharoor, Dr. Helmut Bottiger, Durjoy Datta, Jerry Pinto, Ratnaboli Ray, Ruchir Joshi, Shobhaa De, Usha Uthup and Vijender Chauhan are scheduled to attend various sessions.

The festival will take place across three venues -- the heritage Alipore Museum, Oxford Bookstore and The Park, Kolkata.

Director AKLF Anjum Katyal said, "The 2026 edition has a major focus on gender, history and translation, all contemporary issues that are foremost in the public mind. We are looking forward to welcoming some of our country's leading minds and personalities, as well as eminent writers from abroad." The Oxford Junior Literary Festival (OJLF), to be held at Oxford Bookstore during the AKLF, will engage young readers through interactive 'meet the author' sessions, creative workshops, word games and storytelling. PTI SUS NN