Sticking to the tradition, the eighth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) 2025 unfolded next to the Kozhikode beach amidst much heat and humidity. Four days of literary chatter witnessed a milieu of speakers from across the globe, focussing specifically on six Booker Prize winners (Paul Lynch, Jenny Erpenbeck, Georgi Gospodinov, Gauz, Sophie Mackintosh, Michael Hofmann), and two Nobel laureates (Venki Ramakrishnan and Esther Duflo). Familiar faces from the world of politics ensured a full house every single day: Dr Shashi Tharoor’s displaying his eloquence with words and the evolving nature of English; former National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon’s deep and insightful dialogue on global diplomacy and national interests must be prioritised over rivalries between superpowers; A.S. Dulat’s session that covered India’s evolving international relations with respect to USA and China, along with complications of Kashmir; and Brinda Karat putting forth a discussion on the violence and vigilance on women of religious and ethnic minorities. Prominent names from the world of cinema also made an appearance: a riveting and much topical session on women and their struggles in a patriarchal film industry was led by actress Parvathy Thiruvothu and veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah who addressed hyper-masculinity in Indian films and the need for female voices to reclaim their narratives. As all literature festivals go, literary narratives dominated several panels as usual: winners of the International Booker Prize 2024, Jenny Erpenbeck and translator Michael Hofman spoke about the nuances of intimacy in their novel Kairos, and the GDR that shaped her book’s narrative; a candid session with the winner of 2023 Booker Prize Paul Lynch’s conversation focussed on the blurred lines between fiction and realities, and the state of democracy in world; Ranjit Hoskote’s charming words on the politics of poetry were duly satisfying; and Manu S. Pillai’s enthralling wisdom on the Hindu identity as researched in his latest book Gods, Guns, and Missionaries was attended in throngs on the last day of the festival. Adding the necessary masala to the movement was Hussain Zaidi who, from claiming that D-Company is still present in Mumbai that controls the stock markets and real estate, went on to talk about the only two times when he received threats from Chota Shakeel and Doud Ibrahim, and how he landed up in Pakistan to take the bull by the horns. With so many celebrities turning authors, how can a festival celebrating literature not include the glam they bring them. Influencer and actor Prajakta Koli made an appearance to promote her debut novel whilst cleverly dodging questions from the audience on Gaza, and Huma Qureshi being her charming self and talking about how stories come to her. Acclaimed film director Mani Ratnam reunited with actor Prakash Raj after three decades for a reflective session on cinema, literary adaptations and the multiple facets of filmmaking — one of the most remarkable discussions at the festival. With the golden sands of the Kozhikode beach sparkling in the heat of January, this edition concluded another successful chapter of free thinkers and speakers, with books and literature as the pillars of all things art. Arunima Mazumdar is a Delhi-based art and culture writer
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