KLF 2026 Set To Welcome 400 Global Voices
Some of the notable attendees of the festival will be Nobel Laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah, Olga Tokarczuk and Abhijit Banerjee, Olympian Ben Johnson, business leader Indra Nooyi, economist Arvind Subramanian, linguist and author Peggy Mohan
The Kerala Literature Festival 2026 is all set to welcome 400 global voices from 17 countries, making it India’s most globally represented literature conclave.
Renowned author and distinguished politician, Dr Shashi Tharoor, hosted the curtain-raiser for its ninth edition in the national capital on Thursday. The event saw attendance by distinguished diplomats, publishers, renowned authors and cultural influencers. Dr Tharoor highlighted the importance of platforms like KLF in strengthening cross-cultural relationships and reaffirmed literature’s vital role in understanding our contemporary world.
Billed as Asia’s largest and the world’s most attended literary festival with an average footfall of around six lakh, KLF 2026 will have Germany as the guest nation and feature important voices from contemporary German literature like Mithu Sanyal, Christopher Kloeble, Shida Bazyar, Max Czollek and Hadija Haruna. The German participation will include a dedicated pavilion, literary showcases, workshops and a series of cultural events.
Some of the notable attendees of the festival will be Nobel Laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah, Olga Tokarczuk and Abhijit Banerjee, Olympian Ben Johnson, business leader Indra Nooyi, economist Arvind Subramanian, linguist and author Peggy Mohan, author and columnist Shobhaa De, writer and activist Banu Mushtaq, celebrated essayist Pico Iyer, renowned environmental activist Dr Vandana Shiva, eminent historian Romila Thapar, acclaimed novelist Anita Nair, noted Telugu author Volga and author-diplomat Pavan K. Varma, besides parliamentarian and public intellectual Dr Tharoor himself.
Speaking on the occasion, Philipp Ackermann, German Ambassador to India, said: “The Kerala Literature Festival stands as a remarkable meeting point for cultures, ideas and artistic expression. As the guest nation for KLF 2026, Germany is honoured to participate in a celebration that brings together some of the world’s most influential literary voices.”
The ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival will be held from January 22 to 25, 2026, at the Kozhikode beachfront, the city recognised as India’s first Unesco City of Literature. For more information visit: www.keralaliteraturefestival.com.