The fourth edition of the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) will take place Feb. 19, 20, and 21.
“This year’s three-day, free and open-to-public event will also feature some of the most insightful voices from home and abroad in rewarding, thought-provoking discussions on the literary arts,” said Razi Ahmed, founder and CEO of LLF.
“LLF 2016 will feature panel talks, book launches, recitals and performances, screenings, art exhibitions,” said Nusrat Jamil, chairperson of the LLF Organizing Committee and Board member. “Audiences will have even more to choose from this year. We will have five parallel sessions happening at any given time, spanning fiction, film, music, architecture and urbanism, poetry, history, travel and more.”
The free, evening performances will include A. R. Gurney’s Love Letters with Rehana Saigol and Imran Aslam, and the selected works of Ghalib by Zia Mohyeddin. LLF will also showcase the works of British-Pakistani artist Anwar Jalal Shemza, to coincide with the launch of a new monograph on the late artist.
“We have a terrific lineup of speakers from Afghanistan and Central Asia in a wide array of talks,” said Ahmed Rashid on behalf of the LLF Advisory Committee. “We are very pleased to announce that the widely regarded archaeologist and travel writer Nancy Dupree will be at LLF to discuss the remarkable restoration of the Kabul Museum and her other notable endeavors in Afghanistan.”
The scheduled speakers at LLF 2016 include Ali Akbar Natiq, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Attiya Dawood, C. M. Naim, Fahmida Riaz, Hamid Ismailov, Haji Noor Deen, Intizar Hussain, Javed Majeed, Marion Molteno, Mick Conefrey, Mohsin Hamid, Ned Beauman, Rana Dasgupta, Reza Deghati, Sorayya Khan, Zehra Nigah, and Zukiswa Wanner.
“Lahore has historically been the firmament of big ideas,” said LLF CEO Ahmed. “LLF is all about celebrating the intellectual and creative vitality of this city, its cosmopolitan, its storied cultural contributions, and its place in the global literary world today.”
“We are very excited about the fourth edition of the festival, and are confident that it will make for an even more rewarding audience experience,” said Jamil. “The LLF’s interdisciplinary program will bring together fresh angles and insights spanning the arts and humanities, politics and current affairs, social sciences,” said Rashid.
The schedule for LLF 2016 will be announced days ahead of the event.
LLF is a not-for-profit organization incorporated under the laws of Pakistan. Its Board of Governors includes Iqbal Z. Ahmed, Hameed Haroon, Dr. Parvez Hassan, and Nayyar Ali Dada. The Advisory Committee for LLF 2016 includes Muneeza Shamsie, Zareena Saeed, Salima Hashmi, Khaled Ahmed, and Mohsin Hamid.